Empress Pavilion Eliminates Restaurant Service, Transitions Into Events Space

It's been a bumpy road for Empress Pavilion, the 600-person Chinatown staple that opened 25 years ago. After shuttering in 2013 and reopening at the end of last year, the dim sum haven stopped serving dinner and, well, dim sum, on December 7, and will now operate solely as an events center, reports the LA Times.

The restaurant owned by Andy Lau received a tough review from Jonathan Gold back in April, describing the restaurant as having "rows of empty tables [that] yawn into the distance. There are more chandeliers in the dining room than people." He concluded, "is this the best dim sum you've ever had? If you frequent the better places in the San Gabriel Valley, probably not."

Empress Pavilion fans will have to walk down the street to Lau's other restaurant, Ocean Seafood, or hold a banquet in the massive space.