Bill Lee’s Bamboo Chopsticks

I enjoy the fatty food in this establishment. I like vegetarian dishes and it was delicious and high in calories! It was a good portion and there was nothing left to take home! Yum!

Omg!!! We have been coming here since birth. I wish they had this Restaurant in Los Angeles. I’ve been on the look out for something close like there Mandarin Combination and no one comes close I will be driving in next month I can’t wait!!!

We were in the mood for Chinese food and gave Bill Lees a try. This wasn’t my first time eating there as my family has been long fans of ordering take out from them. This was the first trip for my fiancé however. We started off with the potstickers for an appetizer. They were pretty tasty but the highlight was the sauce served with them. For my entrée I got a combination plate of fried shrimp, pork fried rice, and soft noodle chow mein. Everything was delicious and we had to take a lot home! I also want to note their combinations plates include a bowl of egg flour soup which was super tasty.

Met with coworkers for lunch the other day. I’d almost forgotten how dimly lit it is in there. It does take time to adjust.
I ordered the lunch special with orange chicken. There was an abundance of rice and chow mein on the plate with the orange chicken served on a smaller tray. I ordered the wrong chow mein, but that was my fault. Good quantity for the price, but the food wasn’t like I remembered it.
Service was quick and friendly.

Generally this is a decent Chinese restaurant, but this time I have to share his bad the food was. We ordered sweet and sour chicken and pineapple chicken wings for pick up. The food was awful. The sauce for the chicken bore no resemblance to their usual sweet and sour. It was like they’d forgotten some ingredients. The chicken did not seem cooked long enough. The pineapple chicken was similarly bad and the fried rice did not taste right either. I’m hoping this is not their new normal.

Todays lunch was just ok. I had broccoli beef and chinese fried chicken, fiancé had the orange chicken lunch special. We walked in and immediatly seated, we waited almost 10 min before we were greeted by our server. We ordered pot stickers and drinks, 10 min later both arrived at the table at the same time. Finally after 20 min we are allowed to order what was supposed to be a quick lunch. Food was decent but service killed it… dont go if you only have a hour for lunch, be prepared to be there a while

Been coming here awhile… usually stop by for the lunch when we can… hot tea always hits the spot and the service is usually spot on… shrimp with hard noodles is our favorite… ordered from the take out today and wasn’t too impressed with the young lady working the counter… wasn’t rude or anything .just needs to work on her people skills…

Hands down favorite place to get to go, amazing customer service. Even greater food. Nothing can top Bill Lees when in the downtown area. I remember going here as a little girl and it’s definitely a tradition I’ll keep when I have kids some day. MUST TRY MAI TAIS!!!

Great food. We usually get the lunch specials. Big portion size and fresh delicious food. I recommend anything on the menu. The inside of restaurant is out of date, but delicious. Love the Mai tai’s in the bar area.

Got Bill lees delivered to the office today and like always it was amazing their fried shrimp and pork fried rice is a must have. Delivery took little under an hour which I knew it would take that that long the lady on the phone even said it would be about an hour. They r on the expensive side but when your craving delivery and not pizza it’s definitely worth it. I do recommend this restaurant if your craving a good Chinese meal it’s always very good.

Really great meal. The wife had the mandarin duck and I had the seafood dinner with lobster. Both were excellent dishes. Our server was gracious and very accommodating.
Bill Lees never disappoints.

Dined in the private upper area for a large Xmas party. I had never been here before and I think I may have found one of my favorite Bakersfield Asian spots for the food alone. I will not soon forget the orange chicken! And the pot stickers.
Staff seemed pleasant enough and the dishes were all served in a timely manner. The entrance to the restaurant area is nice and the washroom was clean. There is a separate area for take out. The upstairs room is nothing fancy but served us well. Not the best area of town but my friend describes this place as a Bakersfield Institution so we will be returning to try even more things!

Typical American Chinese restaurant. Kinda bad but I only came for BA weekend with my Soldiers as this was the place the Army was paying for their meals. I wouldn’t come back on my own time.

The Empress Dinner was a great choice for a party of 5 celebrating birthdays. Hot foods hot, cold foods cold, nice waitress and they didn’t mind that we hung around chatting.
Not like big city Chinatown food, but tasty and plenty of dishes and yummy leftovers. They deliver and I’ve been to lots of meetings they catered, too. A good choice especially if you’re not certain of your attendees palate.

Wish we would have gone somewhere else.
Our waitress was very friendly.
My husband and I both felt that the food lacked flavor.
We got a bad feeling that it took longer for us to get our drinks than our food. It just came out so quick, and sure enough we didn’t like it.
We ordered fried rice, veggie chow mien, Kung pow shrimp, and orange chicken (extra spicy). But it all tasted the same, flavorless.
Such a huge let down.

Usually this is one of our go-​to places for Chinese food or takeout. Today we tried placing an order over the phone to be delivered and we were told that the driver refused to go to the address because it was a senior retirement home. We were going to visit my grandma and wanted to have lunch with her, but they refused. This feels like discrimination to me. Whether we worked there or were visiting or lived there, we should be able to order and have food delivered to us. We found another place.
Very disappointed in Bill Lee’s policy.

Not much has changed since my last review. In fact, Bill Lee’s is pretty consistent, that you can count on. Which is why their patrons keep coming back.
On this occasion I had the BBQ spare-​rib dinner w/​crunchy chow mein. I always forget which chow mein I prefer, but it’s not the crunchy. Definitely opt for the pan fried. The ribs were a bit tough for my liking. I’m used to the meat falling off the bone, only the end pieces managed to do that.
The pot-​stickers were fabulous. Great flavor, texture, and the sauce was just right.
The egg noodle soup is more broth than anything. Which doesn’t bother me, since that’s what I prefer. Other’s need more substance.
Definitely try their famous Mai Tai’s — the best in the county. Blended or on the rocks: they’re both great. Fruity, tart, with just a hint of sweetness — these Mai Tai’s pack a punch without even knowing it! Try a blended version, it’s like an adult sno-​cone!
Décor is classic 80’s Chinese. But it’s in such pristine condition, I can let it slide. It actually adds a kitschy element that’s entertaining.
The maze of various rooms are especially intriguing. It’s very easy to get yourself lost. Especially after a few Mai Tai’s!

I really like Bill Lee’s. It’s not super authentic Chinese, but I enjoy everything. Tonight I ordered fried won ton for an appetizer, a cup of egg flower soup, and chicken fried rice. As few veggies as possible; it’s an art form and I am an artist! My companion ordered the Cashew Chicken dinner, which came with crispy noodles & chow mein, and pork fried rice.
I love their placemats! Wonderful explanation of the Chinese Zodiac. I am a Dragon and this is the year of the Sheep! My wife is a Tiger; she’s apparently compatible with me, but I am not with her??? Well, anyway…
Server arrived quickly, and took our order. He brought complementary water & tea right away. Our appetizer took about 5 minutes, and we loved it! Crunchy strips with little meat pockets, with sweet & sour for dipping. Yum!
The rest of our food arrived about ten minutes later, hot & tasty! We guzzled down our soups, and leisurely nibbled on our entrees, between bouts of FB and texting. I was only able to eat about half my fried rice, even with a healthy appetite, and So I gladly had them package it to go. Lunch tomorrow!
My companion enjoyed the Cashew Chicken, except he said it had too much celery. He said he’s order it again though. His favorite thing.
Other things: the parking lot gets really full on weekends at dinner time, but we were at a table within about five minutes of entering. Also, people rave about the mai tai, but we don’t drink, so can’t comment. The server kept our water glasses full, but wasn’t a disruptive presence.

This place is really great the service is excellent. The customer service is top of the line you are greeted at the door then you are immediately greeted at your table by your server with nice cold water and a pot of the finest Tea. The food is outstanding and fresh and is very good the price is not bad at all. The portion size is outstanding you will not leave hungry they have a wide variety of menu options. I recommend this outstanding restaurant!