Emeril’s Tchoup Chop

Boyfriend & I went here last night to celebrate his birthday. I made reservations via Opentable and told them we were celebrating and requested a romantic table for 2.
The BAD:
–We arrived an hour early to sit outside & enjoy some happy hour drinks at their tiki bar so we were VERY disappointed when we arrived and it was closed.
–Even though I specifically told them in advance we were celebrating and wanted a romantic table we were seated at a boring table in the middle of everyone… Feel like they should have seated us in one of the more private booths or beside the nice lily pond.
–We ordered an appetizer, one sushi roll and 2 entrees; pace between courses was excessive… same thing with check had to wait forever when we were done and then finally ask for the check.
–Our appetizer was supposed to be free with our pass, waiter confirmed and took my pass so this should have been taken care of BUT when we received the check it was still charged… We just paid it because we were ready to get out of there after the slow pace of our meal… Boyfriend was ready to get on with celebrating. On a side note initially we wanted to order an app on their «tonight’s» menu but didn’t since the waiter said only regular menu apps were included in the offer even though they were the same price soooo funny that even after that convo he still charged us.
The GOOD:
–They surprisingly poured both my boyfriend & I a complementary glass of their house Cabernet for his birthday.
–At the end of the meal they brought him a delicious homemade tropical sorbet with fresh fruit and Happy Birthday written in chocolate complementary… my boyfriend really loved that and it made his evening extra special.
–Service was super friendly & professional… from hostess, manager, bartenders and waiters.
The Food:
App=Take a Boa:
It was just ok, definitely not great. It was mostly bread with very little meat. The meat itself tasted fabulous but it was cold… not room temp cold but actually cold. More meat and served warm would have massively increased our enjoyment.
Sushi=Crispy Katsu Roll:
Shrimp Tempura, Avocado Spicy Crab, Kabayaki Glaze Sriracha Mayo, Cucumber
This was very delicious with pretty presentation but nothing special… just average and certainly not worth the $ 16 price point.
My dinner=Hibachi Skirt Steak:
KINAWAN PURPLE SMASHED POTATOES, WILD MUSHROOM «POKE», ASIAN CHIMICHURRI
This was absolutely fabulous, my boyfriend ate quite a bit of it with me because he loved it much better than his own. Again with this though the $ 30 price point was pretty ridiculous, more like $ 24 – 26 would be appropriate.
Boyfriends dinner=Three Little Pigs:
Basically pork 3 ways: braised pork belly, fried boneless pork chop over mashed potatoes and a small amount of pulled pork on a steamed bun. Fried pork was dry, tough and basically flavorless. Mashed potatoes were blah, pulled pork boa was just OK… I LOVED the pork belly but just too much fat for my boyfriends taste.
To sum this up service was excellent but slow at times. Food was ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ but overpriced. We had a great time and enjoyed ourselves for the special occasion but will probably not return.

It wasn’t terrible but for the amount that we paid, the food was too salty and our orders were messed up more than once. On the bright side they were gracious in making it up to us. The waiter seemed a bit disinterested in serving us, not sure if because we were in our early to mid twenties. Overall not terrible, but I wouldn’t go again and definitely not worth the price tag. We ordered ramen, kfc, fried rice, lamb chops, sashimi, bao, and calamari. Lamb chops and sashimi were fantastic. Everything else was not bad but salty and not outstanding by any means. Fair warning, they also charge to box up the food. Overall «meh» but I can’t say it was bad.

Just ate here for lunch. Completely unacceptable! Will never dine here again. I expect far more of an Emeril Lagasse restaurant. 60 dollars for lunch and horrible service. Waited with empty glasses 30 minutes to have the waitress return to our table and drop off bill to not return for another 10 minutes. I had to ask the hostess desk to take my bill in order to leave. When I complained to what I thought was the manager he just mumbled 2 words at me while looking away. As a guest of Royal Pacific I even notified the front desk only to discover its third party and they have no control over bad management. Planned on ordering Emerils signature dessert and more drinks but just wanted to leave.

I guess the name is the best part, we stopped in for food and menu was interesting. I can’t remember what I ate but I do know staff was very good at there jobs

Went with high expectations which sorely was not met. When we arrived two people at check in counter both in own conversation and had to try to get attention. Unfortunately this would be par for the course. This was a late dinner for two as treat for my husband and I and at end would have been better served elsewhere. Once seated took 10 minutes before our «waiter» arrived. Finally got drinks after lengthy wait. Was never offered the house shrimp chips and sauce although the table next to us received. We had to finally ask. Every time we needed drink refill had to flag waiter down. I will say table next to us never had issue. Perhaps it was just a poor waiter we received but we felt very forgotten about all night. In fact our dessert order was taken by another waitress that for the 3 minutes she was there was more attentive than the waiter we had for 1.5 hrs. The side of noodles were bland with huge chunks of an inedible green stalk thrown in for volume. The food was ok. Egg rolls and corn were good. The steamed bbq pork buns were fatty and not finished. The KFC Korean fried chicken was tasty but only offered in dark meat. My husbands skirt steak was okay but chewy for price point. The plating was sub-​par for price point. Finally the signature banana pie was all it should be. Overall, for a dinner over $ 100 for 2 there are many better places for less money. Ambience (restaurant is beautiful) does not make up for bad service and sub– par food.

My boyfriend and I had reservations for lunch here on Valentine’s Day. We showed up and the restaurant was largely empty so I guess the reservations were unnecessary. We were seated at a large cushy booth and handed the menu. This is where the problem happened. The menu we were given did not match the lunch menu posted online. Our waiter came over and we asked if this was a special menu. He said no and that we must have looked at the dinner menu. We asked if there was a cocktail menu or wine list and he seemed very frustrated by this request.
So the menu was super limited and our waiter already seemed exasperated with us so we decided to leave. Upon walking out we glanced at the lunch menu posted and it was the menu we had seen online. It had a Loco Moco dish on it that I was super excited about that did not appear on the menu given to us in the restaurant. I have posted pictures of the menu given to us on Sunday and you can see it does not match the Unilocal lunch menu, nor did it match the menu posted outside the restaurant. So, I don’t know if there was a special menu for the day or if they are changing their lunch menu, but our waiter was rude and dismissive so we got out of there.

Wow! We went here last night. Amazing food, fabulous service and an experience to remember. The banana cream pie was over the top. The entire evening was perfect.

I have been to Emeril’s Tchoup Chop three times now. Had great experience twice and bad experience once. After my complaints from last visit, the general manager Eddie has reached out to me and asked to give them another chance. So I did. I took my family out there to celebrate my dad’s birthday. And I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with everything this time. From service to food, nothing was lacking.
What I appreciated the most was that they actually was able to convert problems into a better service in my visit this time. Everything I did not find pleasant in my last visit was nowhere to be seen. I was very impressed that they actually took the steps to improve their service to guests.
The servers and hosts were very attentive. They did not miss a single detail as far as taking the order, constantly taking away empty dishes and maintaining our table nice and clean, and checking up on us frequently. Not to mention, the foods were wonderful. We tried three different appetizers and my favorite was the robata grill platter; this dish made me realize how delicious lambs were. Their main entrees were fantastic as well. They have different menu every time I go and it always gives a great variety of unique dishes to choose from. The server was knowledgeable in the menu and was able to answer any questions I had regarding the food.
For my dad’s birthday, they had «Happy Birthday» written in the middle of the dessert platter and had it beautifully decorated. I wanted to make his birthday very special as I do not get to see him often and Emeril’s Tchoup Chop did an amazing job! Thank you very much for your wonderful services and foods. I recommend this place to everyone and will be back many more times in the future.

I just dined here. I am at a convention in the convention center of the Loews Royal Pacific — where this restaurant is located. In fact, you have to walk by this restaurant to get to your meeting rooms. You would think they would be able to handle 20 people arriving at lunch during a convention (not all wanting to be seated together). You would be wrong. Food wasn’t great, service was slow, and host acted upset with us that we had actually all shown up at the same time. Ridiculous.

Kitschy, but what else do you expect? Not hating on anything. This was the best Asian fusion I’ve ever experienced/​eaten. Get everything with ahi tuna. You won’t regret it.

During a mini-​vacation with my Mom and sister, we made reservations at Tchoup Chop (at the Loew’s Royal Pacific hotel). The restaurant is taking some heat from other Unilocaler’s, but my experience was absolutely terrific.
The servers tag team sections through out the restaurant. We had two gentlemen that were taking care of our table. One, Rich, was very memorable. He was just adorable, cheeky, sweet and patient. The other was just a nice, I just hate to admit I can’t remember his name.
To the meals!
APPS
Crunchy Shrimp: three shrimp in a fried nest of deliciousness. The hot and sour chili glaze for dipping was absolutely perfect. ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Ahi Tartare «Poke» Flatbread: everything except the flatbread itself was awesome. It’s not really what I would consider flatbread, but squares of rubbery pita. If the «flatbread» part had been crispy and edible, I would consider this dish to be ¹⁰⁄₁₀. As it stands, I give it ⁸⁄₁₀ because I ate every darn piece of the dish apart from the flatbread and it was delicious.
ENTREES
Anuenue Sushi: The ingredients were very fresh. The tuna, salmon, unagi, etc. were amazing on their own. There was just so much rice. Rich explained to us that they use a «sushi press» — so rice goes into the press, then the ingredients, and then they press more rice around it so they don’t have to use a seaweed wrap. While the idea is novel, the execution results too high of a rice ratio to be fully enjoyable. ⁶⁄₁₀
Seared Sea Scallops: I have trouble with this one. This was my entrée order. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the accouterments (celery root purée and watercress salad) were wonderful. I just couldn’t get past a weird, bitter taste when I had the scallop. Now, my Mom and sister tried it and they didn’t get the bitterness. So it was my palate that was the issue, not the food. I questioned one of our waiters as to how the scallops are seared because I tasted an unidentified bitterness… he said he would check with the chef. My intent was not to raise issue with my dish, but only to identify the ingredient that I might not be enjoying the taste of. The Chef took back my dish, thought the scallops were under-​seasoned and wanted to make me a new dish. I refused as I didn’t mean for them to refire anything and so instead, he sent out a mini plate of the dish with two scallops on a bed of the purée and salad. It was very kind of them (of note: the seasoning the second time around resulted in a much stronger truffle flavor, but I still found them bitter and my Mom and sister called me crazy — so again, my palate was the issue… not the kitchen). My Mom and sister give the dish ⁷⁄₁₀.
Grouper Special: the grouper was delicious. The kitchen definitely knows how to cook seafood and cook it well. It came on a bed of perfectly cooked polenta. It was definitely the star of the entrees. ⁹⁄₁₀
DESSERTS
Crème Brulee: what is there to be said except for yum? ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Cheesecake Special: red velvet cake sandwiched between two layers of cheesecake on an Oreo crust and covered with chocolate ganache… YES PLEASE. ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Banana Cream Pie: according to the waiters, this is Emeril’s Grandma’s recipe. There are no words to describe how delicious this was. Pudding was like silk, huge pieces of banana… UGH. I can’t even rate it because it’s off the charts!
Because of my scallops, the restaurant sent over a manager who was kind enough to comp my cheesecake. I apologized profusely for causing any issues because it wasn’t my intention. I recognized it wasn’t their fault. I was told, very kindly, that feedback regardless of its intent is helpful and welcomed. They didn’t make me feel bad and I really appreciated the kindness. For service alone, I’d return… but the food seals the deal. Next time I’m at Universal again, they’ll be getting a visit from me!

Stay away from the ribeye. I think 9 of us, in a party of approx 20+ ordered it, and it was a UNIVERSAL THUMBS DOWN! Grissly, fatty, I had four, count them only FOUR, really good bites, out of a HUGE ribeye. The Poke’ however, was true to the islands, and I’d recommend the ribs also as an app. Mahi Mahi was excellent!

Just came back from an 8 day orlando trip and ended at the royal hotel. We had great expectations for dinner here and boy did it top our expectations.
They never once treated us like tourist. With two children we were treated like any other customer walking in. That’s where it began. then the food just topped it off. We ended up eating here for dinner both nights and lunch one day. It is actually worth leaving the park for lunch and coming here. Get the burger … to be honest lunch might be cheaper then the crap in the park.
Egg rolls were incredible
Noodle bowl with short rib was incredible
Fried chicken was insane
And then dessert we tried four diffrent desserts throughout our stay and everyone was amazing.
Honestly thank you for making the end of our family vacation great! From the staff to the chef well done
Thank you

Gracias por la experiencia, la comida es excelente y el trato magnifico. Los meseros siempre atentos a todo, bebidas, pan, agua. La comida deliciosa. La carne en su término. Todo fresco al paladar lo recomiendo

We’ve been to Emeril’s twice now and both time were delicious. The first was for magical dinning, which was well worth it! My entrée then was a whole snapper in a thai-​type sauce. It was amazing!
My most recent visit, was still delicious, just a bit more pricey. I had the salmon special with a spam pineapple rice. Spam, you say? Just go with it… it worked.
I think the best part of Tchoup Chop is the décor. The Royal Pacific is a beautiful hotel that you should definitely walk around in before or after your meal. The restaurant itself, has beautiful lighting, cool booths, and a water feature right in the middle of the place.
I definetly recommend for date night.

A deliciously convenient restaurant right on Loewe’s property. Great service and food, with a pretty large menu that has an Asian/​steakhouse flair. We got the sushi and all were so flavorful and fresh. The fried calamari was also really fresh and crispy. Would recommend for anyone staying at the hotel.

Very sad to write this review because this restaurant used to be absolutely amazing… this was back in 2006 – 2007. I came here again on October 23, 2015 and it has turned into a cafeteria. Maybe they are re-​focusing on a different market (run in, run out theme park crowd) but it does not feel like it used to. That is just the atmosphere. The food is even worse.
The food used to be impeccable, delicious and beautifully presented. It is now unacceptable. The kale Cesar salad was a joke, it was drowning in dressing and had stale popcorn thrown all over it. The $ 45 «rib eye steak» was not that at all. I order the rib eye often from amazing restaurants and whatever this was, I could not tell. It was a piece of meat, about 3.5 inches thick that you could not saw through with any utensil they had to offer. I was so desperate, I asked for a sharper knife. Eventually I gave up.
The service has also changed. Before, each server would take their time with their guests and made you feel like you are the only table they were assigned to. Now, they run around like they work at TGI Fridays, just stopping by the table for long enough to ask if everything is okay, but not long enough to actually hear the answer.
Overall, if you are looking for a nice place this is not it. And for local people, traveling here and paying $ 23 in parking is definitely a big mistake.

Came here to watch the game. It’s very pretty inside. We grabbed some beers and:
Ahi Poke Rice Bowl: ahi tuna, sushi rice, avocado, cucumber with sweet soy glaze and spicy mayo. The tuna was really fresh and tender, the avocados were ripe, the cucumbers were crispy. The rice was soft. Some places drown yet with sauce which I assume is to cover up bad fish… But! They used the right amount of sauce. You can still taste the ahi. I loved this dish.
Chef Emeril’s Signature Banana Cream Pie: graham cracker crust and caramel drizzle. This pie… Spectacular. I am a lover of all things bananas! The bananas are they out the cream pie and the texture of the filling of it is a cheesecake consistency and they topped it off with giant chocolate shavings. I highly recommend it. My gf hates bananas but it looked so delicious she tried it. Graham cracker crust alone was just as good.
It wasn’t ridiculously overpriced or anything. I’d say try it!

Okay – in Chicago or New York, this would not be 4 stars, but it is one of the best choices in the immediate vicinity of over-​priced theme-​park food. Since we were at the hotel, and other choices seemed inferior, we went twice.
They take Open table reservations. Staff was friendly.
Cocktails, while pricey, were pretty well done. We shared small plates rather than order entrees.
Shrimp chips come free. Hubby hates so shrimp. I found them okay, but a tad oily.
The first night I had the nigiri. It was grocery style quality – avoid it.
Bulgogi appetizer is a stand-​out. Really good – we had it twice.
Fried rice was «meh” – I wouldn’t order it again.
Pork belly tocina was excellent.
Short ribs were very good too.
Banana pie was huge. Frankly, could have done with more banana and meringue than all the other stuff on it. But it was good and we ate most all of it.

So we tried to eat at Vivo Italian on the boardwalk. Short story, they suck. For long story read my review.
Bummed we went back to the Pacific Royal hotel. We were going to order room service because most restaurants were closing but we decided to see if we could sneak the last seat at Tchoup Chop before they closed. Felt bad but we were starving.
The service here was amazing. Even though we came in about when they were closing they immediately sat us.
We ordered:
1. House fried rice (Emeril’s favorite)
2. Clams
3. Korean Fried Chicken
4. Seafood fettuchini
Everything was phenomanal. Plus the staff was super incredible, always stopping by and making sure we were well taken care off. To top it off the chef walked by our table and checked up to see how we liked the dinner.

I’ve become a huge fan of this hidden gem. The restaurant is part of Universal’s Royal Pacific Hotel. Tchoup Chop is tucked towards the back of the hotel. It’s not very visible, so it doesn’t capture «pedestrian» traffic.
Guests have a couple parking options:
1. Valet at the convention center, and have the ticket validated for free parking.
2. Park at the main entrance of the Royal Pacific Hotel.
3. Park at City Walk, then take the boat to the resort (the scenic route)
The menu has drastically changed since the first time I visited 2 years ago. The cuisine is Asian-​Polynesian, and it rotates year round.
Tchoup Chop is a visual delight, definitely the prettiest restaurant I’ve dined at in Orlando. The service is impeccable, and the food is delicious.
A couple of my favorite items includes Kahlua Chicken Eggrolls, the Flat Iron Bulgogi, Coconut Shrimp Maki roll, and Chef Emeril’s Favorite Fried Rice.