Really really awesome, authentic tasting sichuan dishes. Reminds me of my grandmother's cooking (if she were from Si Chuan). Favorite dishes are the Salt Miners Diced Chicken, Yi Bin Fire Noodles and Fish Fragrant Shredded Pork. Definitely think the Salt Miner dishes are the best and most unique part of the menu (though all other sichuan standards i.e. mapo tofu are very good). My mom accidentally ordered one of the vegetarian chicken dishes and it was actually pretty tasty. Really dope seitan. Haven't tried any of the american-chinese dishes but disregard the reviews of angry gringos who didn't like their sweet and sour chicken. That's like being pissed your crunchwrap supreme sucked at a mexican restaurant. I've brought a couple of my white friends here and they got down with it though. Service is pretty good. I work in the service industry so I'm pretty understanding, but they treat me really nicely (but probably cause I'm chinese, a semi-regular customer and not a dick). In summary: If you want really awesome sichuan food this is the place to be. If you want general tso's chicken with an egg roll, I think they have that shit but you might as well order from that place next to the liquor store you normally go to.
(5)
Sarah W.
The BEST and most authentic Chinese food you will ever have the good fortune to eat. The service isn't stellar, but the cuisine more than makes up for it. I highly recommend the salt miners' dishes, you will never have anything like it anywhere else.
(5)
Jason C.
When Middle Kingdom closed, I lost few years off my life... when Great Lakes closed, I was lost like a little sheep wondering around trying to find a place to replace both of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Ann Arbor.... hope was fading until a visit to Ypbor Yan... while I can't say the rest is history, I'm thankful that I came here for lunch with a friend. The building itself, the interior and exterior has NOT changed one bit from the old Emerald City days... in fact the same table settings are used... I guess one can say, things don't change much here.... ONE thing that has changed is their menu since the new owners has taken over. While Ypbor can't replace Middle Kingdom and Great Lakes as a whole, it's a good substitute... if you like spicy food then this is the place to be... if you want to try something new, outside of the 'American-Chinese' food, then this place is to be... don't let the descriptions on the menu full you... if you aren't sure what it is, just as the waiter/waitress and they will help you.... We ordered: - Chajangmyun (K01) - Shredded Pork with Jalapeño Peppers - Salt & Pepper Shrimp - Zigong poached pork slices in spicy sauce Chajangmyun: I give Ypbor Yan credit in trying to lure in Koreans into their restaurant with this offering, however their version is little bit off compared to typical Korean dish... while the dish was tasty and good, it lacked that kick we Koreans all come to expect in Chajangmyun. The version they service is seafood based, so you'll find squid, shrimp and sea cucumber in the dish. Shredded Pork with Jalapeño Peppers - if you love the taste of spicy, then this dish is for you... the spicy from the peppers give this a high kick to your taste bud... make sure you have enough cold water near by... heck as them to leave the pitcher of the water on the table.... the spicy level of this dish depends upon the peppers, but the one we got, the spicy factor was there! Zigong poached pork slices in spicy sauce - with name like this, one has to wonder what the final product looked like... but a loose translation of this is: Chicken bits with peppers... while it wasn't as hot as the dish with jalapeño peppers, the small Szechuan peppers they used hit the spot. Our favorite amongst all the dishes were the Salt & Pepper shrimp... the shrimps were large and you get around 14-18 large shrimps... the heads are stilled attached... just make sure you take the head off when eating... you can eat the shells on the body with no problem, it's crispy and delicious. The seasoning on the shrimps are great! Next time we go, we are going to try other dishes on the menu... with the buffet down the street, I always wondered how they stayed in business... when we got there, the parking lot of full and even after 2pm, more folks came in... this place attracts lot of mainland Chinese students from the local universities, so you know this place is good. Like I said, don't be turned away by the loose transitions of their food... BUT if trying new food items is NOT your cup of tea... then stick with the Americanized Chinese food on their menu :)
(4)
Kate B.
We still love Ypbor Yan - and have a few more dishes to recommend: Salt Miner's eggplant (aka, fried eggplant with garlic, chilis, and minced pork)... This is a heavenly dish that converts all eggplant haters into believers. Occasionally they mess up and bring crispy fried eggplant with fragrant sauce, but that is the other awesome eggplant dish at Ypbor, so it is not a total loss ;) Lamb with Sweet Potato and chili-garlic. SO good, but very rich. Only order when you have 6 other people to help eat it (as part of a shared dinner). Salt miner's chicken. Wonderful, fast-fried chicken spicy with chilis and jalapeño, garlic and steamed greens. Water-spinach. Fabulous stir fried and braised greens with garlic. MUST try if they have it in stock. Fried tofu with hot bean sauce? just try it, this is different than the home style fried tofu...sometimes they get confused and give you that instead. Still, both are quite good, I just prefer the hot bean fried tofu more. Dan dan noodles- great for lunch, more broth than most places...but plenty of delicious fried pork bits and hot chili oil over tender noodles.
(4)
Bridget K.
We went here tonight with some friends and were pleasantly surprised. The squirrel shaped fish and the cumin lamb were our favorites, with the green beans with vegetarian pork coming in a close second. I normally just avoid Chinese restaurants since so often it is just Americanized crap, but they had a wide selection of authentic and tasty dishes. Also 90% of the clientele there were Asian which is always a good sign. The service was a little slow, but with so much tasty food, we didn't really mind.
(4)
Hui-yu Y.
This restaurant is alright, but the service is beyond slow.... Also if you go there for karaoke, the waitress will wait there for you to sign the credit card receipt. She then will check how much tips you gave her. If it's something she doesn't like, she will tell you to change it. I thought it's against the law to do that, but I guess I'm wrong or she definitely doesn't care about violating the law. Either way, the karaoke equipment there are pretty outdated, so are the songs there.
(3)
Mary W.
The dishes are a hit and miss. I do like the "ko shuai ji", it's in the appetizer section and it's like cold chicken? It's good enough for me to go back. Pretty much for just that. So I sometimes call for that to go. The reason I give it two stars is because of the service. Not very nice and always caring about customers they recognize. Such a turn off of the service
(2)
Linbo Z.
Great and traditional Sichuan cuisine. Really delicious. The first dish I had there was a beef cold dish. That was the best beef cold dish I had ever.
(4)
Three Dog Night T.
This yelper has enjoyed Ypbor Yan three times in the last calendar week: twice for dinner and once for the buffet lunch. Since others have carefully discussed the dinner offerings, this will focus on the 11-3pm buffet. After eating a fantastic five star dinner from the Chinese side of the menu (squirrel tail fish in two flavors; crispy eggplant), the lunch side of Ypbor Yan life caught my attention. If you expect a huge row-after-row display of large steam trays of various foods (as in Asia City nearby), disappointment will come quickly. The steam trays are tiny. At first I thought they were relish and condiment trays! But not so fast. Inside each small tray one could find hot, finely prepared offerings, many from the Chinese menu, some from the Americanized offerings. Visually each tray looked like one large serving for a group of six. Refills came fast from the kitchen. On the soup side, finely sliced napa cabbage floated with a crunch in the wonton soup. Upon return, I enjoyed this soup sans the wonton---the napa and the broth sang the same song as the chef: slurp me down! For vegetarians the tiny buffet could provide plate after plate of great veggie offerings. The downside for those with a sugar craving would be the desert offerings: not much besides fruit and greasy almond cookies. Others have correctly commented on the visuals of the place. Let me add that the bathrooms are downstairs for those who no longer mountain climb. Handicap access both entering the restaurant and negotiating the bathroom need some work. Were this not the case, this yelper would have assigned at least eight stars. Try dinner first, then the lunch buffet and you will see how the quality of the dinner service carries over into the lunch service. This waiguoren could and will eat there regularly.
(5)
Amy G.
Best Chinese restaurant in the area--at least way better than the ones near campus, which set the standard quite low. As a result, there's a big chance you'll see Asian people you know there i.e. we saw our professor once. One of their specialty dishes is the "squirrel" fish dish, so named because they cut a slice of fish to have protrusions like a fluffy squirrel tail and then fry and drown it in sauce. Overall, their food tends to be a big greasy, but I'll take what I can get in terms of Chinese food in this locale.
(4)
Allen L.
The only true Szechuan restaurant I know of in Detroit / Ann Arbor. You have to ask for the Chinese menu. The chicken with peppers is pretty much that. More red peppers than you ever imagined you'd see on one plate. DO NOT eat them. Eat the chicken - leave the peppers. It is fantastically hot and addicting and wondrous. Be careful what you ask for. Not sure if you if like pig's blood curd with tripe? Try the pig's blood curd with bean sauce. Like really "authentic" food - you got it - fish-fragrance pork is for you.
(4)
Nancy R.
I stopped here with a coworker for dinner. I assumed with all the good reviews in Yelp, it must be good! Nope. First off, this restaurant is dingy and pretty icky looking inside. The tables and booths are dirty and falling apart. But I guess there are some good greasy spoon restaurants where their decor didn't match the food. The food matched the decor in this instance. This place does have an "Americanized" Chinese menu and then an actual Chinese menu. My coworker ordered off the Americanized side, I ordered off the actual Chinese menu. We ordered some steamed veggie dumplings, the sesame chicken and the salt and pepper shrimp. Neither of us were impressed with our food. The dumplings were pretty decent, so no real complaints there. But my coworkers' sesame chicken was down right disgusting. Thankfully, they put the sauce on the side. So my coworker ate deep fried, breaded chicken pieces over rice -- sans sauce. Dry, but it was the only way it was palatable. She ended up asking for sweet snd sour sauce instead. It made it better, but still sad that we had to do it. My salt and pepper shrimp would've been decent if the shrimp wasn't grossly over cooked. And they weren't cleaned properly, so some of the shrimp had portions of the vein (poop chute) in it. The sauce was decent and the veggies with it were good, but the shrimp were a huge let down with being very over cooked and sorta nasty from the lack of cleaning. The service was okay and they kept our tea refilled. The waitress didn't speak English too well, either. Normally, I wouldn't mind (it's a sign of authenticity, right?!), but it was a hassle to get anything done since the language barrier was so huge. I'd refrain from going. I wasn't impressed at all.
(2)
Patrick T.
I quite enjoyed my meal here. It used to be called Emerald City, and that name is still up on the side of the building and on the menus. Their Sichuan dishes seem pretty legit. I liked the "double cooked side pork", which is basically bacon and cabbage. Also enjoyed the spicy garlic eggplant dish. Will probably come back with a bigger group to try more dishes. The two dishes I mentioned left me and my gf uncomfortably full.
(4)
Gopal K.
Awesome, authentic Szechuan Chinese food with a TON of variety on the menu. The food tasted really good, arrived in good time and had a distinct, original taste. We ordered some dishes spicy and were pleased by the level of spice! :) All in all, a very pleasant experience. And oh, their ambience inside is very good as well.
(5)
Lujun F.
Now it's officially my favorite Chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor. Don't get fooled by their weird name (which is hard to remember even in Chinese), they provide authenticate and delicious Si Chuang dishes. To name a few dishes I am impressed: and and .
(5)
Andy Z.
Recently opened. Decent food and service. They have a 10% discount if you pay in cash. Get their spicy fish.
(4)
Ching T.
A great restuarant for spicy dishes... they're VERY spicy!!
(4)
Kensey W.
some good and some bad. my family ate here after we moved my brother into the dorms. my dad spent most of his life in sichuan so when we hear about an authentic sichuan restaurant, we almost always try it. we all share everything of course, but we all get to pick something to order. my dad always gets the yu xiang pork. it's his favorite dish and the one he will judge the restaurant by. the one here was a little too sweet and really heavy on the bamboo. so much that it was a little overwhelming. i didn't think it was awful, but he didn't love and neither did the rest of the family. my brother has pretty american tastes so he got the hot and sour soup and general tsao's chicken. the hot and sour soup was some of the blandest i've ever had. i wouldn't recommend getting it here. the general chicken was pretty decent. crispy and sweet, hot and not overbreaded, decently juicy, would have liked it to be just a little tangier. but i was surprised by this one since it was pretty good. my mom always gets the cold kidney and tripe dish. i love this dish too and it was really good here! super authentic (kind of pointless to make an americanized kidney and tripe dish i guess). it was really flavorful and spicy, the meat was tender, the tripe wasn't overcooked, it had a lot of heat and the appropriate numbing from the peppercorns. if you come here, i'd really recommend getting this appetizer! i picked the sichuan lamb and this too was really great. spicy tender lamb, can't really go wrong with that. overall we had a pretty good lunch. mostly a four-star experience, but had to take one away for the yu xiang pork because it's so important to my dad. oh and the terrible soup. but service was good, our food came with rice. also, i hate the name of this place. i guess it's ypsi and arbor, but how do you even say it and how are we supposed to know what kind of food it is from the name! i'd come back but probably not go our of my way to eat here.
(3)
Nell H.
Ypbor Yan is not just a traditional American-Chinese restaurant; if you want some orange chicken, broccoli with beef, they serve it and flavor is decent, but it's nothing to compare to their spicy Chinese food dishes (). My friends and I fall in love with their spicy dishes. We always start with a spicy appetizer and try something new from their special dishes menu. Never disappointed!! One thing, if you want some authentic spicy Chinese food, ask the waiter/waitress for suggestion or go with a friend who know how to read Chinese menu (lots of dishes only written in Chinese). You're going to enjoy the food!!
(5)
Ray A.
I've asked around quite a bit for recommendations for Chinese food in greater Ann Arbor. Most people come up blank when asked where to go for good Chinese. I found reviews of Ypbor Yan on Yelp and decided to give it a try. The food was pretty good--I've definitely had spicier, more complex mapo tofu, but this was pretty good. And the green vegetables ('seasonal vegetable') were quite good, too. Service was slow but not bad. Basically, this place seems better than most of the other options in the area. If you're looking for a better than average, go-to Chinese restaurant, this might be it.
(3)
Abigale G.
I love their food ! Especially the yi bin noodles!
(5)
Kraig M.
I've eaten in probably hundreds of Chinese restaurants including many in Ann Arbor and my new hometown of San Francisco. At Ypbor Yan, we had two soups and five entrees, mostly mainstays of Chinese-American cooking. The hot and sour soup was tasty with a pleasantly spicy and salty flavor. The won tons in the wonton soup were good, though the broth was a little bland. The cashew chicken, Mongolian beef, Sichuan pork, and shrimp with snow peas were all very tasty with good flavor and fresh, tender ingredients.. The Amazing chicken had nice and generous pieces of chicken, though was a little bland. My only negative comment was that we ordered two dishes medium spicy and they still had no kick at all (my 85 year old mother who has zero tolerance for spicyness could eat everything). One humorous thing: even though the sign outside says Ypbor Yan, the menus still say Emerald City (the prior restaurant in this space) on the cover. Seven of us ate for under $70. The decor is medium-upscale Chinese restaurant schtick. Definitely recommended.
(4)
Joseph V.
Being a road warrior for the past six months, I need rice at least twice a week to compensate the loneliness of being on the road, lol. This is where Chinese food comes in handy. Ordered Mongolian beef and Chicken fried rice. Although my reviews will be biased based on my home-base of San Francisco Bay Area, their menu satisfied my cravings. Not too bad but not great either. Until next time...
(4)
Bill D.
Authentic asian food! Good prices and nice people too! I was the only caucasian diner in the restaurant and it was packed so that says a lot for the food! Large portions of food. They don't take AMEX though! But other cards or cash will do.
(4)
J L.
I have been there twice and the second time wasn't as good as the first. Their beef appetizer was delicious, but that's about it. Ordered fish with pickled vegetables, not authentic at all. Two noodle dishes were mediocre at best. I remember having a chicken dish that was ok the first time I went though.
(3)
Wendy C.
Opened in January 2011, where the old Emerald City used to be. I need to meet a Chinese guest in Ann Arbor, a trusted Chinese foodie colleague recommended this place. Apparently it's the latest addition to the chain of Sichuan restaurants owned by the same group, that includes Trizest in Sterling Heights, Hong Kong restaurant in Lansing, and Bamboo Garden in Midland. The food is fairly authentic Sichuan, if ordering from the menu that has Chinese characters. There is English translation, although not terribly accurate or descriptive enough. If you've had experience eating authentic Sichuan food elsewhere, you may be better off describing to the waiters what you'd like to eat and see if they have it on the menu. We had appetizer chicken with spicy sauce (good), double-cooked side pork with cabbage (okay), a whole fish in spicy bean sauce (tasty), and a few other dishes that my memory failed to register. I wouldn't know how this place compares to other Sichuan restaurants in Michigan, my AA-based guest commented that this is the most authentic and decent Chinese food he's had yet. That's a strong endorsement.
(3)
Sally S.
I always loved the food here, and I wish I could still say the same about the service. It hadn't been busy the last three years on Valentine's Day, so we didn't make reservations. This time it was busy. The waitress greeted us, asked how many seats we needed, then walked away without saying anything. She came back and said "We have no seats." That's it. After an awkward pause, she said "Ohhh, did you want to wait? It will be 30 minutes". We left but decided to come back 20 minutes later because we knew every other restaurant would be busy. There were less cars in the parking lot this time so we thought we might get a seat sooner, but she said 30 minutes again - which is fine, we knew we should have made reservations. Another couple was waiting for a seat for only a minute or so. The waitress came over and spoke to them in Chinese, then led them into the dining area. After 15 minutes, a waiter saw us sitting around waiting for a seat. He said, "Are you guys waiting to be seated? We've got a few tables". He led us to an area with THREE empty tables. Granted, the tables could seat a party of 5 or 6, but regardless they were EMPTY. The woman from the front came over and started telling our waiter that we can't sit there because the dinner rush isn't over yet. So let me get this straight: They wouldn't seat us, on the off chance that a bigger group might come in and want to eat? The kicker is that the couple waiting right before us was seated at a table meant for bigger parties, so I'm not sure why WE had to wait and THEY were seated almost immediately. At least our waiter was nice. The food has changed over the years, but it's still ok. I don't think I'll be going back, knowing that they made us wait around for absolutely no reason.
(1)
Betsy N.
I love their mock chicken. Great for vegetarians. Food is very flavorful. I recommend dining in rather than carry out- there are some communication barriers. Twice had to wait a really long time for carry out- one time over an hour and a half.
(4)
Guillermo K.
Ypbor Yan is not bad. It's certainly a nice oasis in the Chinese culinary desert that is the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area.
(4)
Benton F.
This is a nice suprise, order off the chinese menu, Spincy fish and tofu is excellent. Very nice restaurant and not crowded.
(4)
Emily S.
Their Sweet & Sour Chicken is awful and so is their Almond Chicken. The hot sour soup was decent and the wanton soup was great but needed more wantons in it. The friend rice was edible, nothing special. The egg roll was OK, I wish they made it with bean sprouts instead of cabbage. The service was terrible, thank goodness the male american waiter showed up and helped us even though we weren't his table. I won't be returning.
(2)
H.C. C.
Giving it 5 stars because it's the only good Chinese food located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you're comparing it with other Chinese restaurants across the United States, you'll probably give it only one or two. Two things: 1. Never expect service from a Chinese restaurant, sorry, get over it. I hate that too but it's it, I choose to accept that and it helps. Chinese restaurants, unlike American ones, do not assign one single server to your table. Every servers help every table and they share all tips received. 2. If you are an American who absolutely love AMERICAN Chinese food (shits like General Tsao Chicken or others), stay away from this restaurant. Only good authentic Sichuan food provided, not authentic American Chinese food. I had no choice because there's no decent Chinese food in Ann Arbor. I've been to California (different cities), New York, and Chicago. They all have great Chinatowns with great Chinese foods. So, accept it, the reality says that it is the only good one. If I could I'd love to go to Chicago every week just to have some decent Chinese food.
(5)
Ruo Z.
Ever since Middle Kingdom closed last year, I've been looking for a really good and authentic place that makes stir fried kidneys. Finally found it here. The atmosphere isn't much to look at, but the good is really authentic here, hit enough to make my face numb, lol. It's basically the same as I would have found in China. And they made great kidneys. Yay! Haven't checked out anything else yet, but will probably come back in the future for more.
(4)
Linda L.
not so good, but the BEST chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor. Here is not New york city, Right? We went here so many times that tried all the appetizers and half menu entrees cold dishes are good . beef tripe (红油肚ä¸ï¼‰, sliced beef （五香牛肉），beef tripe mixture(夫妻肺片），cold spicy chicken (麻辣鸡ä¸ï¼‰ï¼Œcold noodle ( two type: å®œå®¾ç‡ƒé¢ and å››å·å‡‰é¢ï¼‰ we like yi bin noodle more. and all the other items on cold menu are also worth trying. You can find fish-smell-herb (æŠ˜è€³æ ¹ aka Houttuynia cordata）here. Very traditional Sichuan cold dish. Though I do not suggest non-Chinese try this herb, It is herb anyway. It has a STRONG smell . The hot dishes are nothing surprised us, very normal appearance . We always order a pot and a green. Pot, in my opinion, try intestine pot ( è‚¥è‚ é”…it is spicy） or dried intestine pot ( å¹²ç…¸è‚¥è‚ é”… it is hotter) ,in winter fish and lamb pot is a smart choice (鱼羊鲜） It comes with Gogi and ginseng . As for green , dried spicy green bean (干煸四å£è±†ï¼‰is a good choice, also chinese mustard. Ypbor Yan is a real restaurant. Not a to-go place as King Shing or China gate. In fact it is a chained restaurant, you can find 3 Ypbor yan in Michigan. We went to another one once bypass. The dishes are similar but not same. Price also. link usbgfood.com
(5)
S B.
Well I actually don't know if it's any good. I went in there tonight around 6:30 pm. They refused to seat me. There were 7 tables/booths avaiable. They said they didn't have any tables for 1 or 2. But they sat they sat the Asian couple behind me. Racist??? Yes. I am white, female and over the age of 50. Where should we start?? I can't believe this happened. I will tell everyone I know that this happened. I seriously hope that they suffer from this. I work for a local company I will tell every person I talke to what happened.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Chris L.
Really really awesome, authentic tasting sichuan dishes. Reminds me of my grandmother's cooking (if she were from Si Chuan). Favorite dishes are the Salt Miners Diced Chicken, Yi Bin Fire Noodles and Fish Fragrant Shredded Pork. Definitely think the Salt Miner dishes are the best and most unique part of the menu (though all other sichuan standards i.e. mapo tofu are very good). My mom accidentally ordered one of the vegetarian chicken dishes and it was actually pretty tasty. Really dope seitan. Haven't tried any of the american-chinese dishes but disregard the reviews of angry gringos who didn't like their sweet and sour chicken. That's like being pissed your crunchwrap supreme sucked at a mexican restaurant. I've brought a couple of my white friends here and they got down with it though. Service is pretty good. I work in the service industry so I'm pretty understanding, but they treat me really nicely (but probably cause I'm chinese, a semi-regular customer and not a dick). In summary: If you want really awesome sichuan food this is the place to be. If you want general tso's chicken with an egg roll, I think they have that shit but you might as well order from that place next to the liquor store you normally go to.
(5)Sarah W.
The BEST and most authentic Chinese food you will ever have the good fortune to eat. The service isn't stellar, but the cuisine more than makes up for it. I highly recommend the salt miners' dishes, you will never have anything like it anywhere else.
(5)Jason C.
When Middle Kingdom closed, I lost few years off my life... when Great Lakes closed, I was lost like a little sheep wondering around trying to find a place to replace both of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Ann Arbor.... hope was fading until a visit to Ypbor Yan... while I can't say the rest is history, I'm thankful that I came here for lunch with a friend. The building itself, the interior and exterior has NOT changed one bit from the old Emerald City days... in fact the same table settings are used... I guess one can say, things don't change much here.... ONE thing that has changed is their menu since the new owners has taken over. While Ypbor can't replace Middle Kingdom and Great Lakes as a whole, it's a good substitute... if you like spicy food then this is the place to be... if you want to try something new, outside of the 'American-Chinese' food, then this place is to be... don't let the descriptions on the menu full you... if you aren't sure what it is, just as the waiter/waitress and they will help you.... We ordered: - Chajangmyun (K01) - Shredded Pork with Jalapeño Peppers - Salt & Pepper Shrimp - Zigong poached pork slices in spicy sauce Chajangmyun: I give Ypbor Yan credit in trying to lure in Koreans into their restaurant with this offering, however their version is little bit off compared to typical Korean dish... while the dish was tasty and good, it lacked that kick we Koreans all come to expect in Chajangmyun. The version they service is seafood based, so you'll find squid, shrimp and sea cucumber in the dish. Shredded Pork with Jalapeño Peppers - if you love the taste of spicy, then this dish is for you... the spicy from the peppers give this a high kick to your taste bud... make sure you have enough cold water near by... heck as them to leave the pitcher of the water on the table.... the spicy level of this dish depends upon the peppers, but the one we got, the spicy factor was there! Zigong poached pork slices in spicy sauce - with name like this, one has to wonder what the final product looked like... but a loose translation of this is: Chicken bits with peppers... while it wasn't as hot as the dish with jalapeño peppers, the small Szechuan peppers they used hit the spot. Our favorite amongst all the dishes were the Salt & Pepper shrimp... the shrimps were large and you get around 14-18 large shrimps... the heads are stilled attached... just make sure you take the head off when eating... you can eat the shells on the body with no problem, it's crispy and delicious. The seasoning on the shrimps are great! Next time we go, we are going to try other dishes on the menu... with the buffet down the street, I always wondered how they stayed in business... when we got there, the parking lot of full and even after 2pm, more folks came in... this place attracts lot of mainland Chinese students from the local universities, so you know this place is good. Like I said, don't be turned away by the loose transitions of their food... BUT if trying new food items is NOT your cup of tea... then stick with the Americanized Chinese food on their menu :)
(4)Kate B.
We still love Ypbor Yan - and have a few more dishes to recommend: Salt Miner's eggplant (aka, fried eggplant with garlic, chilis, and minced pork)... This is a heavenly dish that converts all eggplant haters into believers. Occasionally they mess up and bring crispy fried eggplant with fragrant sauce, but that is the other awesome eggplant dish at Ypbor, so it is not a total loss ;) Lamb with Sweet Potato and chili-garlic. SO good, but very rich. Only order when you have 6 other people to help eat it (as part of a shared dinner). Salt miner's chicken. Wonderful, fast-fried chicken spicy with chilis and jalapeño, garlic and steamed greens. Water-spinach. Fabulous stir fried and braised greens with garlic. MUST try if they have it in stock. Fried tofu with hot bean sauce? just try it, this is different than the home style fried tofu...sometimes they get confused and give you that instead. Still, both are quite good, I just prefer the hot bean fried tofu more. Dan dan noodles- great for lunch, more broth than most places...but plenty of delicious fried pork bits and hot chili oil over tender noodles.
(4)Bridget K.
We went here tonight with some friends and were pleasantly surprised. The squirrel shaped fish and the cumin lamb were our favorites, with the green beans with vegetarian pork coming in a close second. I normally just avoid Chinese restaurants since so often it is just Americanized crap, but they had a wide selection of authentic and tasty dishes. Also 90% of the clientele there were Asian which is always a good sign. The service was a little slow, but with so much tasty food, we didn't really mind.
(4)Hui-yu Y.
This restaurant is alright, but the service is beyond slow.... Also if you go there for karaoke, the waitress will wait there for you to sign the credit card receipt. She then will check how much tips you gave her. If it's something she doesn't like, she will tell you to change it. I thought it's against the law to do that, but I guess I'm wrong or she definitely doesn't care about violating the law. Either way, the karaoke equipment there are pretty outdated, so are the songs there.
(3)Mary W.
The dishes are a hit and miss. I do like the "ko shuai ji", it's in the appetizer section and it's like cold chicken? It's good enough for me to go back. Pretty much for just that. So I sometimes call for that to go. The reason I give it two stars is because of the service. Not very nice and always caring about customers they recognize. Such a turn off of the service
(2)Linbo Z.
Great and traditional Sichuan cuisine. Really delicious. The first dish I had there was a beef cold dish. That was the best beef cold dish I had ever.
(4)Three Dog Night T.
This yelper has enjoyed Ypbor Yan three times in the last calendar week: twice for dinner and once for the buffet lunch. Since others have carefully discussed the dinner offerings, this will focus on the 11-3pm buffet. After eating a fantastic five star dinner from the Chinese side of the menu (squirrel tail fish in two flavors; crispy eggplant), the lunch side of Ypbor Yan life caught my attention. If you expect a huge row-after-row display of large steam trays of various foods (as in Asia City nearby), disappointment will come quickly. The steam trays are tiny. At first I thought they were relish and condiment trays! But not so fast. Inside each small tray one could find hot, finely prepared offerings, many from the Chinese menu, some from the Americanized offerings. Visually each tray looked like one large serving for a group of six. Refills came fast from the kitchen. On the soup side, finely sliced napa cabbage floated with a crunch in the wonton soup. Upon return, I enjoyed this soup sans the wonton---the napa and the broth sang the same song as the chef: slurp me down! For vegetarians the tiny buffet could provide plate after plate of great veggie offerings. The downside for those with a sugar craving would be the desert offerings: not much besides fruit and greasy almond cookies. Others have correctly commented on the visuals of the place. Let me add that the bathrooms are downstairs for those who no longer mountain climb. Handicap access both entering the restaurant and negotiating the bathroom need some work. Were this not the case, this yelper would have assigned at least eight stars. Try dinner first, then the lunch buffet and you will see how the quality of the dinner service carries over into the lunch service. This waiguoren could and will eat there regularly.
(5)Amy G.
Best Chinese restaurant in the area--at least way better than the ones near campus, which set the standard quite low. As a result, there's a big chance you'll see Asian people you know there i.e. we saw our professor once. One of their specialty dishes is the "squirrel" fish dish, so named because they cut a slice of fish to have protrusions like a fluffy squirrel tail and then fry and drown it in sauce. Overall, their food tends to be a big greasy, but I'll take what I can get in terms of Chinese food in this locale.
(4)Allen L.
The only true Szechuan restaurant I know of in Detroit / Ann Arbor. You have to ask for the Chinese menu. The chicken with peppers is pretty much that. More red peppers than you ever imagined you'd see on one plate. DO NOT eat them. Eat the chicken - leave the peppers. It is fantastically hot and addicting and wondrous. Be careful what you ask for. Not sure if you if like pig's blood curd with tripe? Try the pig's blood curd with bean sauce. Like really "authentic" food - you got it - fish-fragrance pork is for you.
(4)Nancy R.
I stopped here with a coworker for dinner. I assumed with all the good reviews in Yelp, it must be good! Nope. First off, this restaurant is dingy and pretty icky looking inside. The tables and booths are dirty and falling apart. But I guess there are some good greasy spoon restaurants where their decor didn't match the food. The food matched the decor in this instance. This place does have an "Americanized" Chinese menu and then an actual Chinese menu. My coworker ordered off the Americanized side, I ordered off the actual Chinese menu. We ordered some steamed veggie dumplings, the sesame chicken and the salt and pepper shrimp. Neither of us were impressed with our food. The dumplings were pretty decent, so no real complaints there. But my coworkers' sesame chicken was down right disgusting. Thankfully, they put the sauce on the side. So my coworker ate deep fried, breaded chicken pieces over rice -- sans sauce. Dry, but it was the only way it was palatable. She ended up asking for sweet snd sour sauce instead. It made it better, but still sad that we had to do it. My salt and pepper shrimp would've been decent if the shrimp wasn't grossly over cooked. And they weren't cleaned properly, so some of the shrimp had portions of the vein (poop chute) in it. The sauce was decent and the veggies with it were good, but the shrimp were a huge let down with being very over cooked and sorta nasty from the lack of cleaning. The service was okay and they kept our tea refilled. The waitress didn't speak English too well, either. Normally, I wouldn't mind (it's a sign of authenticity, right?!), but it was a hassle to get anything done since the language barrier was so huge. I'd refrain from going. I wasn't impressed at all.
(2)Patrick T.
I quite enjoyed my meal here. It used to be called Emerald City, and that name is still up on the side of the building and on the menus. Their Sichuan dishes seem pretty legit. I liked the "double cooked side pork", which is basically bacon and cabbage. Also enjoyed the spicy garlic eggplant dish. Will probably come back with a bigger group to try more dishes. The two dishes I mentioned left me and my gf uncomfortably full.
(4)Gopal K.
Awesome, authentic Szechuan Chinese food with a TON of variety on the menu. The food tasted really good, arrived in good time and had a distinct, original taste. We ordered some dishes spicy and were pleased by the level of spice! :) All in all, a very pleasant experience. And oh, their ambience inside is very good as well.
(5)Lujun F.
Now it's officially my favorite Chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor. Don't get fooled by their weird name (which is hard to remember even in Chinese), they provide authenticate and delicious Si Chuang dishes. To name a few dishes I am impressed: and and .
(5)Andy Z.
Recently opened. Decent food and service. They have a 10% discount if you pay in cash. Get their spicy fish.
(4)Ching T.
A great restuarant for spicy dishes... they're VERY spicy!!
(4)Kensey W.
some good and some bad. my family ate here after we moved my brother into the dorms. my dad spent most of his life in sichuan so when we hear about an authentic sichuan restaurant, we almost always try it. we all share everything of course, but we all get to pick something to order. my dad always gets the yu xiang pork. it's his favorite dish and the one he will judge the restaurant by. the one here was a little too sweet and really heavy on the bamboo. so much that it was a little overwhelming. i didn't think it was awful, but he didn't love and neither did the rest of the family. my brother has pretty american tastes so he got the hot and sour soup and general tsao's chicken. the hot and sour soup was some of the blandest i've ever had. i wouldn't recommend getting it here. the general chicken was pretty decent. crispy and sweet, hot and not overbreaded, decently juicy, would have liked it to be just a little tangier. but i was surprised by this one since it was pretty good. my mom always gets the cold kidney and tripe dish. i love this dish too and it was really good here! super authentic (kind of pointless to make an americanized kidney and tripe dish i guess). it was really flavorful and spicy, the meat was tender, the tripe wasn't overcooked, it had a lot of heat and the appropriate numbing from the peppercorns. if you come here, i'd really recommend getting this appetizer! i picked the sichuan lamb and this too was really great. spicy tender lamb, can't really go wrong with that. overall we had a pretty good lunch. mostly a four-star experience, but had to take one away for the yu xiang pork because it's so important to my dad. oh and the terrible soup. but service was good, our food came with rice. also, i hate the name of this place. i guess it's ypsi and arbor, but how do you even say it and how are we supposed to know what kind of food it is from the name! i'd come back but probably not go our of my way to eat here.
(3)Nell H.
Ypbor Yan is not just a traditional American-Chinese restaurant; if you want some orange chicken, broccoli with beef, they serve it and flavor is decent, but it's nothing to compare to their spicy Chinese food dishes (). My friends and I fall in love with their spicy dishes. We always start with a spicy appetizer and try something new from their special dishes menu. Never disappointed!! One thing, if you want some authentic spicy Chinese food, ask the waiter/waitress for suggestion or go with a friend who know how to read Chinese menu (lots of dishes only written in Chinese). You're going to enjoy the food!!
(5)Ray A.
I've asked around quite a bit for recommendations for Chinese food in greater Ann Arbor. Most people come up blank when asked where to go for good Chinese. I found reviews of Ypbor Yan on Yelp and decided to give it a try. The food was pretty good--I've definitely had spicier, more complex mapo tofu, but this was pretty good. And the green vegetables ('seasonal vegetable') were quite good, too. Service was slow but not bad. Basically, this place seems better than most of the other options in the area. If you're looking for a better than average, go-to Chinese restaurant, this might be it.
(3)Abigale G.
I love their food ! Especially the yi bin noodles!
(5)Kraig M.
I've eaten in probably hundreds of Chinese restaurants including many in Ann Arbor and my new hometown of San Francisco. At Ypbor Yan, we had two soups and five entrees, mostly mainstays of Chinese-American cooking. The hot and sour soup was tasty with a pleasantly spicy and salty flavor. The won tons in the wonton soup were good, though the broth was a little bland. The cashew chicken, Mongolian beef, Sichuan pork, and shrimp with snow peas were all very tasty with good flavor and fresh, tender ingredients.. The Amazing chicken had nice and generous pieces of chicken, though was a little bland. My only negative comment was that we ordered two dishes medium spicy and they still had no kick at all (my 85 year old mother who has zero tolerance for spicyness could eat everything). One humorous thing: even though the sign outside says Ypbor Yan, the menus still say Emerald City (the prior restaurant in this space) on the cover. Seven of us ate for under $70. The decor is medium-upscale Chinese restaurant schtick. Definitely recommended.
(4)Joseph V.
Being a road warrior for the past six months, I need rice at least twice a week to compensate the loneliness of being on the road, lol. This is where Chinese food comes in handy. Ordered Mongolian beef and Chicken fried rice. Although my reviews will be biased based on my home-base of San Francisco Bay Area, their menu satisfied my cravings. Not too bad but not great either. Until next time...
(4)Bill D.
Authentic asian food! Good prices and nice people too! I was the only caucasian diner in the restaurant and it was packed so that says a lot for the food! Large portions of food. They don't take AMEX though! But other cards or cash will do.
(4)J L.
I have been there twice and the second time wasn't as good as the first. Their beef appetizer was delicious, but that's about it. Ordered fish with pickled vegetables, not authentic at all. Two noodle dishes were mediocre at best. I remember having a chicken dish that was ok the first time I went though.
(3)Wendy C.
Opened in January 2011, where the old Emerald City used to be. I need to meet a Chinese guest in Ann Arbor, a trusted Chinese foodie colleague recommended this place. Apparently it's the latest addition to the chain of Sichuan restaurants owned by the same group, that includes Trizest in Sterling Heights, Hong Kong restaurant in Lansing, and Bamboo Garden in Midland. The food is fairly authentic Sichuan, if ordering from the menu that has Chinese characters. There is English translation, although not terribly accurate or descriptive enough. If you've had experience eating authentic Sichuan food elsewhere, you may be better off describing to the waiters what you'd like to eat and see if they have it on the menu. We had appetizer chicken with spicy sauce (good), double-cooked side pork with cabbage (okay), a whole fish in spicy bean sauce (tasty), and a few other dishes that my memory failed to register. I wouldn't know how this place compares to other Sichuan restaurants in Michigan, my AA-based guest commented that this is the most authentic and decent Chinese food he's had yet. That's a strong endorsement.
(3)Sally S.
I always loved the food here, and I wish I could still say the same about the service. It hadn't been busy the last three years on Valentine's Day, so we didn't make reservations. This time it was busy. The waitress greeted us, asked how many seats we needed, then walked away without saying anything. She came back and said "We have no seats." That's it. After an awkward pause, she said "Ohhh, did you want to wait? It will be 30 minutes". We left but decided to come back 20 minutes later because we knew every other restaurant would be busy. There were less cars in the parking lot this time so we thought we might get a seat sooner, but she said 30 minutes again - which is fine, we knew we should have made reservations. Another couple was waiting for a seat for only a minute or so. The waitress came over and spoke to them in Chinese, then led them into the dining area. After 15 minutes, a waiter saw us sitting around waiting for a seat. He said, "Are you guys waiting to be seated? We've got a few tables". He led us to an area with THREE empty tables. Granted, the tables could seat a party of 5 or 6, but regardless they were EMPTY. The woman from the front came over and started telling our waiter that we can't sit there because the dinner rush isn't over yet. So let me get this straight: They wouldn't seat us, on the off chance that a bigger group might come in and want to eat? The kicker is that the couple waiting right before us was seated at a table meant for bigger parties, so I'm not sure why WE had to wait and THEY were seated almost immediately. At least our waiter was nice. The food has changed over the years, but it's still ok. I don't think I'll be going back, knowing that they made us wait around for absolutely no reason.
(1)Betsy N.
I love their mock chicken. Great for vegetarians. Food is very flavorful. I recommend dining in rather than carry out- there are some communication barriers. Twice had to wait a really long time for carry out- one time over an hour and a half.
(4)Guillermo K.
Ypbor Yan is not bad. It's certainly a nice oasis in the Chinese culinary desert that is the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area.
(4)Benton F.
This is a nice suprise, order off the chinese menu, Spincy fish and tofu is excellent. Very nice restaurant and not crowded.
(4)Emily S.
Their Sweet & Sour Chicken is awful and so is their Almond Chicken. The hot sour soup was decent and the wanton soup was great but needed more wantons in it. The friend rice was edible, nothing special. The egg roll was OK, I wish they made it with bean sprouts instead of cabbage. The service was terrible, thank goodness the male american waiter showed up and helped us even though we weren't his table. I won't be returning.
(2)H.C. C.
Giving it 5 stars because it's the only good Chinese food located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you're comparing it with other Chinese restaurants across the United States, you'll probably give it only one or two. Two things: 1. Never expect service from a Chinese restaurant, sorry, get over it. I hate that too but it's it, I choose to accept that and it helps. Chinese restaurants, unlike American ones, do not assign one single server to your table. Every servers help every table and they share all tips received. 2. If you are an American who absolutely love AMERICAN Chinese food (shits like General Tsao Chicken or others), stay away from this restaurant. Only good authentic Sichuan food provided, not authentic American Chinese food. I had no choice because there's no decent Chinese food in Ann Arbor. I've been to California (different cities), New York, and Chicago. They all have great Chinatowns with great Chinese foods. So, accept it, the reality says that it is the only good one. If I could I'd love to go to Chicago every week just to have some decent Chinese food.
(5)Ruo Z.
Ever since Middle Kingdom closed last year, I've been looking for a really good and authentic place that makes stir fried kidneys. Finally found it here. The atmosphere isn't much to look at, but the good is really authentic here, hit enough to make my face numb, lol. It's basically the same as I would have found in China. And they made great kidneys. Yay! Haven't checked out anything else yet, but will probably come back in the future for more.
(4)Linda L.
not so good, but the BEST chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor. Here is not New york city, Right? We went here so many times that tried all the appetizers and half menu entrees cold dishes are good . beef tripe (红油肚ä¸ï¼‰, sliced beef （五香牛肉），beef tripe mixture(夫妻肺片），cold spicy chicken (麻辣鸡ä¸ï¼‰ï¼Œcold noodle ( two type: å®œå®¾ç‡ƒé¢ and å››å·å‡‰é¢ï¼‰ we like yi bin noodle more. and all the other items on cold menu are also worth trying. You can find fish-smell-herb (æŠ˜è€³æ ¹ aka Houttuynia cordata）here. Very traditional Sichuan cold dish. Though I do not suggest non-Chinese try this herb, It is herb anyway. It has a STRONG smell . The hot dishes are nothing surprised us, very normal appearance . We always order a pot and a green. Pot, in my opinion, try intestine pot ( è‚¥è‚ é”…it is spicy） or dried intestine pot ( å¹²ç…¸è‚¥è‚ é”… it is hotter) ,in winter fish and lamb pot is a smart choice (鱼羊鲜） It comes with Gogi and ginseng . As for green , dried spicy green bean (干煸四å£è±†ï¼‰is a good choice, also chinese mustard. Ypbor Yan is a real restaurant. Not a to-go place as King Shing or China gate. In fact it is a chained restaurant, you can find 3 Ypbor yan in Michigan. We went to another one once bypass. The dishes are similar but not same. Price also. link usbgfood.com
(5)S B.
Well I actually don't know if it's any good. I went in there tonight around 6:30 pm. They refused to seat me. There were 7 tables/booths avaiable. They said they didn't have any tables for 1 or 2. But they sat they sat the Asian couple behind me. Racist??? Yes. I am white, female and over the age of 50. Where should we start?? I can't believe this happened. I will tell everyone I know that this happened. I seriously hope that they suffer from this. I work for a local company I will tell every person I talke to what happened.
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