Pearl of the Orient

Celebrated Chinese New Year here and was blown away by the wonderful food! I adore classic Chinese restaurants, no modern for me, and the Pearl delivered high quality food with amazing flavor. The scallion pancakes were a perfect starter and the pineapple fried rice a nice surprise. As we ate family style, I must have tried 10+ different dishes and every one was a winner. They even deliver!

I ate there yesterday and became very sick after eating the spring rolls and their sauce. I had never tried the spring rolls and sauce before. I usually just eat the vegetable fried rice only. Just be careful when ordering food there. The food is going into your body, so eat with caution.

The atmosphere was really great, the food was not that great and not terrible, just fine and the portions were really big. I ordered pad thai which was very bad in taste. other orders chicken fried rice and cashew chicken was okay.

Decided to give them a try for dinner tonight. Last had food from there more than 5 years ago and food was marginal then. Called for carry out. Made a simple order of 1 appetizer and 1 dinner entrée. Went to pick it up base on time told on phone. When I got there they did not have my food and did not have my order in their computer. Several people recalled my order being made (the restaurant was very empty tonight, that should’ve been a clue). The manager /​owner came out to see what was wrong. He suggested that perhaps another «Kevin» had taken my food which doesn’t make sense because there was no other order with the same name left behind. Then he blamed it on the «new girl» while she was standing right there. New order placed and I waited. The older woman (may have also been an owner /​mgr) gave me a bag of almond cookies with a $ 1.75 price tag on it to me for my inconvenience. Finally my food came. I was charged full price. Took it home to eat. Food was just as bad as the last time I was there. Bad food, belittling owner and bad service. Not sure how they have been in business for so long. Never again!

My sister and I got takeout last night. It was our first time trying this place, but I had heard good things. Well…
We got two orders of Yuen Baos, two orders of chicken potstickers, an empress chicken entrée, and a chicken with broccoli. The Yuen Baos were the highlight of the meal. However, they were extremely tiny. They pretty much tasted like crab rangoon, but were much smaller than I am used to. The chicken with broccoli was just okay, but nothing to rave about. The empress chicken and chicken pot stickers were NOT PALATABLE. The chicken was not seasoned AT ALL in either dish. I love potstickers, so the total lack of flavor was such a disappointment. Also, the empress chicken had a sort of stale, frozen taste. We ended up throwing both these dishes away because they tasted so bad.
I wouldn’t mind having the Yuen Baos or chicken with broccoli again, but after spending a grand total of $ 50 for what turned out to be a mostly disappointing meal, I will likely steer clear of this place in the future. Especially after those disappointing potstickers :(

I seriously think this place has the best chinese food in Cleveland. I have yet to have a bad dish here. You get a good portions that are great for sharing so, I think you get your money’s worth. I took one star off because some of the employees aren’t always friendly.

My experience is that this is the perfect place to have a delicious, relaxed meal. My date and I were seated immediately in a mostly empty restaurant, drinks and appetizers came at a leisurely pace that was perfect for a chatty date. The scallion pancakes and egg rolls were certainly worth the trip. My main course was Mu Shu Pork– prepared the traditional way with wood ear and daylily! This is a rarity, as most American-​Chinese places substitute these hard-​to-​find ingredients, and thus I was seriously won over when I saw this dish hit the table. The food itself was a little bland at first, which a waiter at a nearby table remarked was down to American customers who frequently complain about spicy food. However, the table was also provided with plenty of soy sauce and chili oil and if I remember correctly even sesame oil– sesame oil is always used in cooking, so I’m guessing the cooks were doing their best to get flavor our to people who wanted it. Halfway through our meal a nice old gentleman waiter passed by our table as I was digging into a Mu Shu pancake and said, «I see you’re eating with your hands. We’ve got something for that.» I was bewildered for a second, and then he tossed down a couple packets of moist towelettes. I think that’s exactly how to explain the service here– in my experience it’s now slow, it’s just the sort of relaxed family-​style atmosphere where they don’t have someone standing like a hawk to sprint over and fill every water glass the moment it drops below the rim. Take your time, enjoy the company you’re with, and you might make this a regular place.

No offense intended, but if this was in my hometown of Portland I’d pass it by. Visiting relatives in Cleveland for a week, it was about the best we could do in the neighborhood. Wait staff were courteous, prices reasonable. Parking in the Van Aken Center is abundant!

The food was ok the service was questionable. I guess the waitress assumed we weren’t going to tip so she added 18% gratuity to our bill for two people! Second her math was wrong the bill was about $ 52 she rounded the gratuity up to $ 10. When we questioned it she said it states on the gift certificate that gratuity is added which was wrong because we read the certificate and she couldn’t find it stated anywhere on it. So they made the necessary changes.

Horrible. Not worth holding on to the leftovers… nor eating the first time. Very disappointed.

If you have a fetish for receiving poor service with FANTASTIC food, then this is your place! We have dined here a few times now, and the story is always the same…
We get quickly greeted and seated, which then eludes us to believing that today is the day that we will receive satisfactory service. Excitedly we scour the menu looking for something new to try. We find it, the menu is pretty extensive and there’s always a dish that looks appealing. Once our food has been strategically selected, we then look around for our server… and reality sets in. She isn’t coming. She doesn’t care that I am now drooling over the idea of Empress Chicken and some Vegetable Fried Rice. Anticipation grows with every tummy growl. Then, only 19 minuted later, she returns to take our order!
My thoughts then become a bit sassy, and I start saying things aloud to our fellow guests such as «this had better be worth the wait» and «Who do I need to sleep with for a soda refill?». Within a reasonable window of time, our food arrives. Things are starting to really turn around.
I attack the piping hot food as if it were my first meal after a colonoscopy fasting. The table is now silent, the hunger pains and snarky comments have ended. We are devouring our dishes and experiencing pure bliss. I am now looking around the table and thinking that I might want to start the usual «share-​a-​bite» program that is certain to accompany any meal that I am a part of. Every dish, and I mean EVERY dish is better than the last. The Chicken with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms is robust and saucy, the Szechuan Beef is tender and perfectly seasoned. My salivation is stuck on overdrive and my taste buds have exploded from the intense flavors.
… it is now that reality sets in and I know, that my glass is beyond half empty with no likelihood of change in the near future… Why can’t I learn beverage moderation? So thirsty from the savory delights.
In fairness, the manager will now visit our table and apologize for the service delays, and get us all boxed up. His witty repertoire of well-​versed phrases will calm the stirring crowd, and we will all end the experience with a chuckle. For a few moments, we all have forgotten about the poor service, and head out to our cars to call it a night. After a brief food coma we then begin to verbally reflect the night’s pros and cons and are left with pretty much the same thoughts on Pearl of the Orient…
Such astounding food with a side of sub-​par service… Yes, we will inevitably return.

Pearl catered a dinner party for my family a few years ago, and they created a wonderful, personalized menu for the event — complete with gluten-​free dishes for my allergy. The food was amazing, we got tons of compliments on the food.
However, until this past weekend, when I was at home, visiting my parents, I had never actually been into the restaurant to try their regular menu.
Everything was to die for. Absolutely delicious.
My meal, as well as the meals I sampled off the plates of the 3 other people at my table were absolutely divine. I think Mom’s crusted pork was my favorite. (I finished all her leftovers about an hour after we got home — just couldn’t get enough!)
The prices were a little high for an average weeknight out, but would be absolutely suitable for a nice date or a special occasion outing. The portions were large (as I mentioned, we all took home leftovers), so I would definitely say you get your money’s worth. This isn’t your average Chinese takeout. Definitely a class above the rest.
I would absolutely recommend Pearl of the Orient to anyone in the Greater Cleveland area. Glad I finally got to try it, can’t wait to go back.

I’ve been getting food here since I was a little kid so when I’m able to go back to Pearl and have some of my favorites it’s heaven.
My absolute favorite are the pork potstickers we always get them braised instead of fried or steamed its the best of both worlds. The chicken potstickers are good too but pork is where it’s at! Also the sauce that comes with the potstickers is awesome its sweet and tangy and goes well on everything.
Our other favorite is the Chicken Pad Thai. This dish is really good especially if you order some extra potsticker sauce to drizzle on top. We’ve gotten this dish with and without shrimp, both are good it just depends on what you’re in the mood for.

Picked up dinner on the way home from work tonight. Overall, it’s fine. Not outstanding and not terrible. Just fine.
I ordered Scallion Pancakes, Crunchy Beef, Cashew Chicken, Steamed Vegetable Potstickers and brown rice. Except they gave me white rice.
The food was warm and the rice issue wasn’t significant.

Lunch menu has a nice variety. Food was good. Not the best Chinese I’ve had but still good. Service was really sloooow. 3 stars

Eh. I was disappointed, even more insulting — not great food AND it was overpriced. The pork friend rice wasn’t bad — it was good. The rest? Super bland, not good at all.

My family has been eating from Pearl of the Orient for the past 15 years and I love it– it’s really a taste of my childhood.
For people who are fussing about this not being authentic– just look at the menu and you can see it’s Americanized Chinese food, not authentic Chinese. Orange Chicken, egg rolls, beef and broccoli– these are not the signs of authentic Chinese food. If you wanted authentic, you should have gone somewhere else.
I think the interior is warm and inviting, but my family often opts for take out. Some of my favorites are yes, the egg rolls, and the Orange Chicken. I absolutely LOVE their scallion pancakes with this amazing sweet/​savory sauce it’s paired with. As another reviewer noted, they only serve white meat chicken so their chicken dishes are pretty fantastic. I’m not a huge beef/​pork/​duck fan in general, and I would recommend you stick with chicken dishes. For non-​meater eaters, their mu shu vegetables are amazing and I love their veggie spring rolls. The fried rice is pretty tasty and you can get it prepared in a variety of ways.
What is now called the Pearl Platter (it used to be called the Pu-​Pu platter… wonder why they changed it?) is a tasty smorgsboard of fried American Chinese delights served with a flaming mini grill, which is a fun eating experience.
Overall: tasty food, good service, moderate prices.

Ghastly faux-​Chinese food. There is nothing authentic about this mess of cuisine.
The two dishes we ordered (via takeout) were sodden, dull and flavorless. Inexcusable, especially when one was supposed to be Szechuan.
I love Chinese food, but Cleveland is a wasteland of worthy Chinese restaurants.

Just went back here with a good Cantonese friend… and the food was unappealing. While alright… 2.5, it was thoroughly americanized. The owner did mention that, if given notice a day ahead, he could get the materials for more authentic fare. If I ever dare eat here again, I’ll call ahead.
That said, i’ve been to a for-​chinese private function here before, and it was 3.5 — 4 stars. But that was a special menu.

2.5 stars…
Really quite average. They don’t deliver, and recommended instead that I contact
. I ordered the Triple Delight — $ 14.95 — billed as a «delicious combination of chicken, beef and sea scallops…» Rice was an extra $.55 for a tiny cup; a bowl of Hot-​Sour Soup $ 2.95. All in all this is not mind-​blowing food, but fairly adequate for delivery or takeout on a cold snowy night. With DeliverMeFood’s fees and automatic tip, the bill came out to $ 26.89.