Brian Nagele
Get your fill of dim sum dishes at these famous restaurants.
Going out for dim sum is always a great opportunity to try many small dishes simultaneously and share with friends and family. Dim sum is a meal that involves eating several small Chinese dishes.
Many items on a dim sum menu are Cantonese. However, there are influences from many Chinese cuisines.
Often, dim sum is a popular choice for brunch or a large friend or family meal. When you go to a dim sum meal, expect to see classic items such as shrimp or spring rolls, rice noodle rolls, meat dumplings, Xiaolongbao, shumai, bao, cakes, vegetables, lotus leaf rice, meat, and seafood.
While there can be sweet and savory elements throughout the meal, you can also enjoy dim sum dessert items such as sesame balls and puddings.
While dim sum originated in China, immigrants brought these dishes to the United States in the 19th century. It became particularly popular in the 1980s. Now, restaurants across the culture maintain traditions and innovate.
Read on to discover the best dim sum restaurants in the US.
Yank Sing, San Francisco, CA
101 Spear St, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States
Phone: 415-781-1111
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San Francisco, California is undoubtedly one of the foundational spots for Dim Sum in the United States, and Yank Sing carries on that important tradition with some modern flair.
The original Yank Sing location opened in 1958, and the restaurant continued to expand and evolve over the following decades. Now well-known restaurants cater to locals and tourists alike.
This restaurant provides a traditional experience since you can choose your dishes from push carts that travel through the dining room.
Every one of the over 100 rotating dishes is worth trying at least once. Some remarkable options include the stuffed lotus leaf, seafood basil dumpling, turnip cake, scallop balls on a skewer, and phoenix tail prawn.
Jade Garden, Seattle, WA
424 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104, United States
Phone: 206-622-8181
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The second you step through the door at Jade Garden, you can feel the vibrant energy as the delicious smells whet your appetite.
This restaurant is fairly unassuming compared to other well-known dim sum spots. That is because the amazing food speaks for itself. Every item on the menu provides delicious flavor throughout each element of the dish.
Jade Garden provides a lot of dim sum basics, such as barbeque ribs and chicken feet. It is also a fantastic place for shumai.
If anyone at your party wants some bigger dishes, you can also try the a la carte dishes. When you visit this restaurant, expect a wait. However, the line usually moves quickly.
Star Kitchen, Denver, Co
2917 W Mississippi Ave, Denver, CO 80219, United States
Phone: 303-936-0089
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Star Kitchen in Denver, Colorado shows that the quality of dim sum does not diminish as you head inland.
While dim sum is the star of the show, this restaurant also offers other dishes, including noodles, hot pot, and soup. You can also purchase fresh seafood.
As for the dim sum, this restaurant offers delightful classics, such as sticky rice in a lotus leaf, rice crepes, dumplings, and coconut red bean pudding.
A few options are somewhat unique at this spot, including fried shrimp balls, fried black sesame balls with egg yolk, and shrimp stuffed eggplant.
Din Tai Fung, Seattle, WA
2621 NE 46th St, Seattle, WA 98105, United States
Phone: 206-525-0958
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Founded in Taiwan in 1958, Din Tai Fung has since expanded internationally to over 10 countries and almost 200 locations.
There are Din Tai Fung restaurants throughout the west coast and in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Seattle location lives in the University Village. Getting a seat for dim sum brunch can be competitive.
The dim sum dishes at the restaurant are delicious and beautifully presented. One particular favorite include wood ear mushrooms in a vinegar dressing.
If you are not going to be in Seattle or the restaurant’s other home cities anytime soon, do not worry. Din Tai Fung offers nationwide delivery of their bao buns.
Bubor Cha Cha, Boston, MA
45 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111, United States
Phone: 857-233-2478
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While dim sum is popular on the west coast, it also has a burgeoning presence on the East coast.
Bubor Cha Cha is a must-visit dim sum restaurant if you are in Boston. This lively restaurant offers Hunan cuisine, dim sum, and fresh seafood.
This place is another busy dim sum restaurant where you can expect a line to get in the door.
Some popular food options include cumin pork rib, spicy bullfrog, eggplant and preserved egg with green pepper, scallion pancakes, sweet sticky rice cake, and shredded pig ear with spicy oil.
Bao & Noodle, New Orleans, LA
2266 St Claude Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117, United States
Phone: 504-272-0004
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New Orleans is a town known for its delicious and well-developed food culture, from Cajun food to other cultures.
So, it is only right that this delicious dim sum restaurant exists in the city. This casual, but well-executed spot is ideal for all your traditional dim sum dishes and new favorites.
This restaurant is the kind of spot where you want to take a large group of friends and family so you can try everything on the menu.
The menu is on the smaller side for a dim sum restaurant, and a lot of thought and effort goes into each item.
If you can only choose a few dishes, try the fried steamed bao, slow-cooked pork belly, and whatever the seasonal vegetable is. All of the noodles here are also absolutely worth trying.
Bing Bing Dim Sum, Philadelphia, PA
1648 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148, United States
Phone: 215-279-7702
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While many restaurants on this list are straightforward Chinese cuisines, Bing Bing Dim Sum offers Chinese dishes with a Jewish twist.
You can order the delicious bites, but visiting the restaurant itself is a lovely experience. It is a cozy place with a buzzing kind of energy.
Some classics such as pork soup dumplings and shrimp dumplings are present. However, there are also items such as matzo turnip cake, coconut rice tamale, fried cauliflower, and cheesesteak bao.
In addition to the food, you can also get exciting drinks. Try the jade harvest cocktail if you want something refreshing and lucky candy if you want something flavorful.
Ping Pang Pong, Las Vegas, NV
4000 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89103, United States
Phone: 702-247-8136
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Las Vegas, Nevada is another city known for its vibrant food scene. Ping Pang Pong is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area.
It resides in the Gold Coast Casino. Besides dim sum, this restaurant offers noodles, rice, vegetables, seafood, and meat.
The menu for this restaurant is vast, and it is hard to go wrong when ordering almost anything from it.
There are plenty of unique seafood options, barbeque bao, chicken feet, egg custard, rolls, and more dim sum.
This restaurant offers reservations, and it is a good idea to take advantage of those.
Szechuan Noodle Bowl, Seattle, WA
420 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104, United States
Phone: 206-623-4198
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Szechuan Noodle Bowl in Seattle, Washington may look unassuming. However, the food here is delicious and comforting.
This is the spot to go when you want a simple ma-and-pop place with lovely service and food. The food is in the Szechuan style.
Make sure to try the garlic seaweed, green onion pancakes, xiaolongbao, and potstickers. The noodle dishes and soups are also delicious.
This restaurant also sells frozen versions of many of its menu items so you can enjoy them at home. These frozen foods include green onion pancakes, potstickers, dumplings, and noodles.
Mark’s Duck House, Falls Church, VA
6184-a Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044, United States
Phone: 703-532-2125
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Mark’s Duck House is a lowkey and popular spot that offers Hong Kong-style dim sum, Cantonese cuisine, and Peking duck.
It has been in the area for decades and it is not hard to see why. Every item on the menu is delightful.
There is also a reason duck features in the name of the restaurant. If you have a chance, try the Peking duck here with a group.
Dim sum classics like shumai, steamed buns, and taro cakes are all delicious here. If you are used to small dim sum portions, you may be surprised by the generous portions offered at this restaurant.
Golden Unicorn, New York, NY
18 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002, United States
Phone: 212-941-0911
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Golden Unicorn in New York City is a great place to go for dim sum if you like the traditional offerings, but want to experience some modern twists and beautiful presentation.
This restaurant provides an upscale Cantonese-style banquet experience. Golden Unicorn prioritizes local ingredients.
If you want to stick to the classics, there are plenty of options. Try the steamed spare ribs, steamed sticky rice in lotus leaf, and steamed pork buns.
Some items off the beaten path include lobster dumplings, Portuguese egg tarts, egg custard piglet-shaped buns, crispy durian pastry, and cappuccino jelly pudding.
Sea Harbor, Los Angeles, CA
3939 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770, United States
Phone: 626-288-3939
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Sea Harbor is a lovely spot in Los Angeles where you can get comforting dim sum with innovative dishes.
This restaurant also offers delightful seafood options in a comforting setting. Factor in a longer wait when you visit this restaurant in the afternoon. For less of a wait, visit in the morning.
While this restaurant offers many classics, there are many unique dishes to look out for. Try the black and gold coated custard buns and the truffle shumai for an elevated experience.
Vegetarians will also adore the black mushroom and celery dumplings.
Kon Chau, Miami, FL
8376 SW 40th St, Miami, FL 33155, United States
Phone: 305-553-7799
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Kon Chau is an institution in the Miami community. Customers keep coming back as a result of the high-quality ingredients, ongoing innovation, and skilled cooking.
This restaurant offers many Chinese classics and American takes on Chinese cuisine. Before three in the afternoon is when you can get dim sum.
When ordering dim sum you can choose a mix of classics and unique items.
Try green tea mushroom dumplings, almond tofu with mixed fruit, scallop dumpling, and roast pork pie.
East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Alameda CA is a family owned and operated Dim Sum favorite that has been serving families for over 35 years! Their Salt and Pepper Calamari is a crisp crunch of goodies! The plump Sui Mai filled with fresh pork. Shrimp and mushroom is delicious, the juicy bite smells in my mouth! East Ocean is the first Dim Sum Restaurant in Alameda who moved from Oakland’s Chinatown to the Alameda location in 1995.
They have gluten free dim.sum and vegetarian options.
Half the places on here do not qualify as dim sum. Just because it is dumplings, doesn’t mean it’s Dim sum. Dim sum is from the Canton Region and literally translates to: dim=point/touch/order sum=heart. So a push cart used to come to your table and you would point to what your heart desired. It is a lunch time meal and almost always served with tea. “Yum cha”. The tea helps to cut the fat and aids in digestion.