Empire Palace Asian Restaurant and Bar is on Corporate Dr, right next to TGI Fridays on McKnight Road in Pittsburgh PA. This specific location has had an array of restaurants including a Japanese restaurant and a BBQ joint as well. For now, and for over the last year or so Empire Palace Asian Restaurant and Bar seems to be doing good business considering they outlasted all the other restaurants in that location (besides Friday's!) and for good reason - the food is amazing.
We have quite a few Chinese restaurants in Wexford, but I will drive all the way out to McKnight just to eat at Empire Palace Asian Restaurant and Bar. Not only is the food good, but the atmosphere and ambiance is really chic and authentic which is pretty different from the outside of the building. Don't let the outside fool you folks!
Credit Goes To Empire Palace Asian Restaurant and Bar
One of the coolest things about Empire Palace Asian Restaurant and Bar is that every time you go in you find something new and exciting. It is by no means a pack rat place. Everything is organized and decorated in a nice way, but the place is pretty big and somewhat hard to take in all at once. One of my favorite "decorations" in the restaurant is probably the glass etched skyline in the background of the booths on the side of the main dining area. I'm not sure exactly what city skyline this is, but I would imagine it's Pittsburgh. The top of the glass has colored lights installed, so when it shines down on the city of glass, it lights up - especially cool at night. Booths and chairs are comfortable, the items put in the restaurant are very authentic, but chic and it has a nice feel to it.
The Food: This is my favorite part of any restaurant! If you like shrimp, I would suggest that you try out the
Shrimp w Honey Walnuts, it's under the Chef menu! This has your usual fried shrimp, but with a twist, it's the sauce that makes all the difference here. It's a honey sauce, but it tastes of silky butter and velvety honey. It is so good I could just eat the sauce!
Another thing to try is any of their orange entrees ie; Orange Flavored Beef and the Orange Flavored Shrimp. And if you are a duck fanatic like I am and you like the way Asian restaurants cook duck, please
make sure you check it the Honey Moon Duck it's fabulous, cooked perfectly (dark succulent meat and crispy skin) and the sauce that goes with it is.. amazing. I can't even put it into words.
The Service: Sometimes Empire Palace Asian Restaurant and Bar can get really busy, especially on the weeknights and on Fridays, so make sure you head in early or head in later on, or just expect to wait. But, I promise you it's worth the wait. The waitstaff are always very kind and polite, and they will do whatever they can to make your stay even more welcoming.
