Voted Best Dim Sum in L.A., Empress Pavilion is located on the second floor of Bamboo Plaza in the heart of Chinatown in Los Angeles.
A large banquet style room serves as the only dining room of this small shopping plaza in Chinatown. If you have to wait, peruse the stalls all around for cheaply priced Chinese wares -- purses, clothes, souvenirs, and the like.
Once inside, be prepared! As the dim sum ladies push the carts by, don't be afraid to stop one to see what they have and pick out the dishes you wish to eat. If there is something particular you want and the cart just doesn't seem to make it toward your table, there is no harm in getting up and taking your ticket with you to the cart and asking for that dish while the lady stamps your check.
I enjoy the egg custard tarts, baked bao (baked bun with Chinese BBQ pork inside), and the taro balls (a little greasy, but so tasty!). They offer a few vegetarian dishes such as steamed gai-lan (Chinese broccoli), but not much. Go on and try the chicken feet (you know you want to . . . !). If you're a little pedestrian in taste, stick with the shui mai and shrimp dumplings.
It's best to have a larger group of people so you can try the many dishes they have.
If you're going on the weekend during peak dim sum hours (10am-2pm), I'd recommend calling ahead to reserve a table. I'd also recommend bringing your own bottle of water. The glasses they serve to each table are pretty small and it's sometimes difficult to flag down a server to get refills.