China Pearl Restaurant
9 Tyler St
(between Beach St & Kneeland St)
Boston, MA 02111 (617) 426-4338
- Nearest Transit:
Chinatown (Orange, Silver)
Boylston (Green, Silver)
South Station (Silver, Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch
- Alcohol: Full Bar
102 Reviews for China Pearl Restaurant
The dim sum here is yummy-licious... for those of you afraid you wont be able to order because you don't speak the language, rest-assured, there is a foreigners level upstairs. That's where they put me.
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This WAS our default dim-sum restaurant when we moved here about 10 years ago. It was not by choice but by desperation because it was the better dim-sum places in Boston (which doesn't say much about the dim-sum scene in Boston).
Overall, the dim sum (flavor, texture, etc) was just OK - I guess we were spoiled because we have been exposed to much better in San Francisco, Toronto, Scarborough, Vancouver, etc. I know this sounds strange but some of CP's dim-sum doesn't seem that fresh which was really surprising given the high turnover. A lot of the dishes seemed warmed over.
Next, we found that although CP is highly successful (huge crowds and high turnover) it is however in desperate need of renovation. Dudes - don't you guys believe in pouring some of your profits back into your own restaurant? Your carpets are deeply stained and thread-bare, your bathroom has cracked tiles, doors that don't close, faucets that leak (and that is an understatement), etc. From the amount of business you guys do, you must be filthy millionaires - yet your restaurant looks like a dump. Oh by the way, I am Chinese and have eaten in a lot of Chinese restaurants so it is not that I am not used to Chinese bathrooms.
We have stopped coming to CP ever since Hei-La Moon opened just outside Chinatown (between Chinatown and South Station Bus Terminal). We like HLM because the restaurant is definitely much cleaner and dim-sum better.
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Yeah. 5 stars.
If only I could recount my incredible and completely surreal evening I spent at China Pearl. It involved a ten-course traditional Chinese meal in honor of Parents Day through an invite from one of my friends who's work had a table at the banquet.
This magical evening included:
--amazing, amazing food. I tried JELLYFISH and had to kiss a chicken head due to some crazy table-mates who were superstitious.
--an entire room of people doing the Electric Slide.
--karaoke throughout the ENTIRE meal...including Celine Dion, Sinatra, and traditional Chinese opera.
--80 year old women dancing with swords.
--much singing of "Billie Jean"
--takeout containers passed out to the tables between every course. (I LOVED this idea of not wasting perfectly delicious food!)
I'll sure be returning for a regular night's dinner, but man o man, my evening at the China Pearl felt like the twilight zone...in the BEST and most MAGNIFICENT way possible. Everyone was so welcoming and explained everything...and it was possibly the kitschiest experience ever...so much glitter and music and dancing.
amazing. just amazing.
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The best place ever for Dim Sum. The food is sooo good. Although it's not the best service, it's always going to be like that. I have been going here ever since I was a little kid and it is definately worth the wait.
This is a large restaurant in the Boston Chinatown.
I had a good dim sum lunch here one Sunday while visiting some friends in the city. Didn't leave me with any MSG hangover, good number of choices, our waiter was brusque but the dim sum cart ladies were generally friendly.
I prefer Windsor across the street now, but I have to say you all are pretty well off in Boston in the dim sum department.
4 stars not five cause it was solid but nothing makes it really special.
Here for a wedding, so I'll just describe the multiple-course meal as served, as I don't know if the entertainment was provided by the restaurant at all.
First course: Cold cuts of beef heart, jellyfish, hot BBQ pork, hot fried pork, and hot friend chicken. The pork and chicken fried were crisp and fresh, the jellyfish regular with sesame oil, and the beef heart was delicious with a bit of soy sauce. Best part of the dish: the BBQ pork was juicy, and well marinated. All at the table agreed it was the best part.
Second course: Fried crab claw balls. Pretty standard.
Third course: Seafood in a bird's nest. The birds nest.. not so much a taste of taro at all, just flour crisply fried. Best part - the inside, where strips of squid, mushrooms, vegetables, shrimp, scallops, and alabone were delicately presented. Excellent taste.
Fourth course: Shark fin soup. A little bit shredded, but not bad.
Fifth course: Peking chicken with shrimp chips. Tasty, although the white meat was a bit dry.
Sixth course: Lobster, broken up and sauteed with green onions. Excellent taste of the sauce, although a tad bit overcooked with the lobster meat.
Seventh course: Abalone, round mushroom, sea cucumber and fish stomach. Excellent taste, and nice and thick, but not oily, sauce to top off on top of some sauteed cabbage.
Eighth course: Fish in soy sauce, ginger, and scallions. Didn't catch the name (he mentioned it to someone) but was delicious - waiter removed all the meat for us and kept it neatly on the plate in whole pieces for us to devour. My favorite dish of the night.
Ninth & tenth dishes - noodles and fried rice, of which I only tasted, not ate out of. I never save room for these dishes, and I was unsurprised at the noodles and the shrimp fried rice (I'm not really a fan of either, but they were better than average).
Dessert: Red bean soup with lotus seeds. Excellent sweet to finish the night.
Wedding cake - well, you won't get this served, but overall a beautifully arranged and massive dinner. When I get the chance, we'll try some of the other dishes on a non-wedding night! Price is indicative of what I think it would be if you ordered a couple of appetizers and entrees for two people, not for the wedding meal. Second floor is not easily accessible, though.
3.5 stars.
China Pearl is a pretty solid dim sum place in Boston's Chinatown. Be forewarned, though, that it gets ridiculously busy the closer it gets to lunchtime during the weekends. And when I say "busy," I mean that there are lines pouring down a flight of stairs, nearly out the front door -- and it is no small restaurant (it consists of two pretty large floors).
Any time I have friends or family visiting from out of town who say they want dim sum, I always take them here, and they always end up liking it.
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Came here with co-workers during the busy lunching hour. We were seated immediately. In fact, before we all had plunked our behinds on a chair, the carts began to encircle our table. A cacophony of "You want?" began echoing through my head as we quickly tried to assess what it was that they were hawking. None of us being Dim Sum experts, there was a lot of sampling and "We'll try that". Tea was pipping hot and the shape of the pot made it a bit difficult to pour without getting tea all over the table. It was a bit watery, but drinkable.
Points for their speedy and continual service. Price is reasonable - for 5 the bill came to under $55 (and we got quite a lot of food). The restaurant is rather large, which is good for quick seating. There is also a buffet style area where you can go and select items, if you don't want what is passed around on the carts. The fried noodle was tasty, along with a couple other items whose names I couldn't tell you.
Overall a good experience. Not amazing, not fantastic, but definitely good. Would go for 3.5 stars if possible, but I'd rather bump them up to 4 than give a 3.
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I'll pay
No, I'll pay.
No, no, no we can't do that. I"LL pay.
No, I'LL pay.
Thus ensues the bill battle over dim sum between over zealous relatives or good friends to show their good will, while the children fidget in their seat and wish they went to McDonald's instead.
This a typical scene on a boisterous weekend at any good dim sum place and China Pearl is one of the best dim sum places in Boston. Located on the second floor, it is huge Chinese style restaurant that houses a dog-eat-dog battle over the best dumplings or noodles on most weekends. Very authentic from the food to the wait staff to the decor. 100% real dim sum experience.
Dim sum is the equivalent of Spanish tapas, small dishes of delicate Chinese food that is shared among a group of people. Definitely bring at least 3 people with you since most dishes have 4 items. It's a free for all once you arrive: if you arrive early before 10 am you can easily get a seat, after that you get put on a wait list. DON'T be shy to push you way to the podium to make sure your name is there. The elderly Chinese men and women aren't, so shouldn't you.
As for the food, you have your staples such as dumplings, buns, and rice noodles but for the more adventurous try the marinated chicken feet, cow tripe/intestines, or pigs blood. Ladies push carts ladened with goodies and shouting out the names in Cantonese but if you don't know Cantonese just stop them and ask them to lift up the lids.
Tea is automatically served. Waiters are fast and efficient to sweep off empty plates so that you can populate the table again. A no-frill restaurant that is loud and boisterous but that is the charm of dim summing. People who expect a quiet meal need not come here. I highly recommend China Pearl.
Note: as for the kids who wishes for McDonalds, they grow up realizing how silly they are and yearn for their weekly dim sum when they go to college.
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This place ranks as a "better" on my Dim Sum list - it doesn't make the "best" ranking because of the watered down tea and occasional lapse in service, but the food isn't so bad that it deserves a "good" or "poor".
If I could give 3.5 stars, I would.
It definitely helps to speak Cantonese here; otherwise, pointing at something that looks appetizing may not be the wisest of choices.
I often take large groups of people who have never had dim sum to China Pearl because of the space, the experience, and the food. With two floors of spaciousness, you can easily fit 30 people at 3 tables. (Making sure they know what they want is another story.) The food, while it isn't the same as dim sum in NYC, is decent compared to other places in Chinatown. I'm a big fan of the shrimp dumplings, seafood dumplings, roast pork buns, clams in black bean sauce, and beef wrapped with flat noodles ("chern fun" for the Chinese). Their dinner banquet options aren't bad either, if you're there for a wedding banquet or New Year's celebration.
Don't forget to take the check to the head server for price calculation at the end of your meal.
Side note: it's fantastic that the cashier speaks English.
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Pretty good dim sum. One of my two favorites to go to in Chinatown. A good variety. It is always crowded when I go.
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I can't attest to the dim sum, but I've been here for their 10-course wedding style dinner for 10 people. if you can wrangle a group of 10, I'd recommend trying it out just for the experience alone!
For a flat rate of just a smidge over $200 (total bill came to about $27 pp), you get 10 courses - which I believe vary depending on the day. Our fare included:
- Cold plate of appetizers, including beef, duck, chicken, and jellyfish (actually quite delicious!).
- Seafood soup
- Seasoned prawns
- Seafood/Veggie dish (snap peas, broccoli, carrots, shrimp, scallops, squid, etc)
- Chinese fried chicken (amazing)
- 2 Lobsters
- Fried rice
- Lo Mein
- Some kind of sweet n sour-type pork
- A whole fish
- Red bean soup (dessert)
the experience is amusing (omg, the food just keeps coming!), and some of the standout dishes were truly delicious, but to be honest, i much prefer the dim sum experience, and i hold loyalties to empire garden (though I suppose I'd be willing to try CP for comparison's sake).
in other words, i'm just as if not more satisfied paying $10 to stuff myself with dumplings as i am paying $30 to stuff myself with lobster, but I'm glad I got to experience this culinary extravaganza!
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This is a cheap restaurant in Boston, for standard dim sum food. The perfect Sunday treat. They don't allow you to order from the menu, but instead they go with the classical carts. They do offer a nice alternative, which is that they have a buffet stand on each floor with noodles, chicken, shrimp and vegetables, so you can get food immediately if you are starved. Don't forget to bring your bill with you so that they can mark it for you.
I started with dessert. Custard buns, which are one of my favorite dishes. It was a good ratio of custard to bun. The shrimp rice roll was standard. The shrimp was good, but you have to like rice rolls. Some people hate it, and others love it. The chicken shitake bun was tasty and not too filling. I had a bunch of other stuff, mostly steamed dumplings and I don't think that there was a bad one in the bunch.
I must say that the turnip cake was horrible. One of my friend's mom used to make us homemade turnip cake all the time, so I am very fond of the dish. I was disappointed at China Pearl. I thought that by frying the cakes table-side that the dish would be amazing, but it was just too mushy. Blech.
I loved the shrimp from the buffet table. They were fried with the heads and sprinkled with salt. The fat noodles with beef were also a hit. Another time I'd like to try the clams with black bean sauce that were also in the buffet table.
This is my favorite dim sum place because of the variety and because of the turnover. They are so busy the food is constantly fresh. I get freaked out by places where I see the cart go around several times and nobody touches anything.
My favs..
shrimp dumplings
lobster dumplings (they almost never have them anymore)
sweet buns
sticky rice
clams in black bean sauce
etc etc
Expect the usual. Rude waiters, cart ladies who let you order by pointing, getting a fork if you aren't asian, a big huff if you order a pitcher of water like I always do. The food is cheap, filling, tasty and the experience is fun. I get a little jealous when I am here of the kids who parents take them to do this every weekend. My parents only took me to IHOP....
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China Pearl is my parents' old standby dim sum spot, so I've been coming here since I was a wee child. With all the hustle and bustle, it actually reminds me of the teahouses in Hong Kong. In other words, it is grand compared to the other establishments in Chinatown.
On weekends, the lines get so out of control that they have to assign you a number and they announce over the microphone when your number comes up. While they have 2 dining levels, if you are a small party, you may get seated at a large table with other patrons. This is done to accommodate all the diners as quicky as possible--and yes, this is how they do it in Hong Kong too!
All in all, dining at China Pearl is as much about the experience and atmosphere as it is about the food. I love selecting different dim sum specialities from the rolling carts (they have all the standard offerings like har gow, siu mai, chicken feet, etc.) and I never get tired of watching the ladies fry up my turnip cake right in front of me. I highly recommend the sweet tofu "pudding" (doufu fa), which is served hot with sweet honey syrup. They also have steam tables on each floor, offering dishes like mussels in black bean sauce. If you want noodles or other more substantial fare, you can order off the regular menu to supplement your dim sum.
Tip: It's best to go early--no later than 1:30 p.m. because that's when the dim sum is freshest.
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An average dim sum parlour. 3 stars is not to say that it's not good - dim sum nearly always is. But compared to the standard of dim sum around the world and even around New England - it's pretty ordinary.
The two things that stand out are
1. the weekend bustle - this place gets very busy, which is good for the atmosphere but bad for the lines.
2. almond dofu dessert - a traditional cheap and easy desert not made from tofu as the name suggests but made from seaweed agar powder and boiled water. It's almost exactly the same thing I make in the lab everyday to separate out tiny pieces of DNA from each other. It's tasty as hell too (not the lab version).
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My Visit To China Pearl, Re-imagined as an 80s Music Video
(specifically: Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up")
Open to the three of us - me, Rick Astley, Liz - dancing in the mirrored stairwell of China Pearl. Everyone has big hair. The camera pans between us and our scattered reflections as we dance up the stairs.
First verse: Astley is dancing and singing into a mic on a small platform stage in the middle of the lower floor. Dim Sum carts swarm around him in a swarm of color. People are ignoring him in favor of their pork shu mai and vegetable dumplings.
On "I just wanna tell you...", he serenades Liz and I at a table upstairs. Liz eats her shrimp roll and I sip hot tea, pretending not to notice.
Chorus:cut between scenes of Liz and I alternately dancing and doing back bends on the center of a larger table upstairs.
Next verse: mysteriously, we are all now wearing sunglasses, even though we are inside. Astley has donned a too-large trenc hcoat. Liz's hair is even bigger. Astley sings, and people are suddenly noticing him. A few look annoyed at the disruption, but for the most part, people are enjoying the performance.
Next chorus: We dance behind Astley as he sings. People are clapping, and you can clearly see some patrons singing along. There are numerous shots of Astley using a pair of chopsticks (the color of his trench coat) to snatch up pieces of dim sum as he goes through the crowd, but it would be incongruous to see him eating them; the shot changes each time he brings a piece up to about chin-level. People do not seem to notice, or care.
When chorus repeats to the end of the song, a majority of the restaurant slowly stands to dance with us, following Astley as he wanders through the restaurant. As they get up to dance, their hair grows in size and their clothes become smaller, tighter, brighter; a magical 80s transformation.
As song ends, everyone applauds as shot fades to black.
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Only been here once, about 8 years ago. It was completely loud and chaotic and tasty -- just like dim sum should be. My wife and i were seated at a table for 10 with three other groups. The couple across from us was an old chinese couple....the man completely ignored his wife, read his chinese newspaper and only grunted at her when she asked if he wanted some bite or more tea. Classic!
Here's the thing about Dim Sum: the places are all sketchy, the service sucks, you barely know what exactly it is that you're eating, and you walk out feeling MSGed, sodium overloaded, and like you need a 5 hour nap. All of that said, at the right place with an great group of friends, Dim Sum is awesome.
China Pearl is good, I prefer Chau Chow City I think though. Sesame and pork buns, YES PLEASE. Endpoint: I can take or leave Dim Sum. Mostly leave.
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So I went here with a big group of people and luckily sat next to a Chinese guy so I could actually ask what things were and know what I was eating - very rare at Dim Sum! My favorite are the balls covered with sesame seeds and filled with red bean - I don't know what they are called I just point when I see them on a cart and say "balls please". All the shrimp items I tried were tasty as well. I did not try the chicken feet or lining of an organ from a cow (he wouldn't tell me what organ) but I was entertained while watching other people eat it. The waitstaff was attentive with the water and hot tea refills and the food never stops.
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Been here 4 total times. Once for dinner and 3 times for dim sum and twice, the food has been cold. Upon asking the waiter about it, he basically said that it was dim sum and the carts go around so what can he do about it? WOW are you kidding me? This place is a joke. And yes I'm Chinese and I know what good Dim Sum is supposed to be. This is the only place I've tried in Boston but I sure hope there's gotta be somewhere better than this. Oh yea, and the one time I came for dinner it was horrible too.
ok.....so boston isnt really known for their version of china town, but i'll give them a star for effort =) yes, its a small neighborhood and my local friend took us here for some dim sum. it was actually quite bustling here considering the other choices in the area. this place is on the 2nd floor...and theres also a 3rd floor. we got there around noon on a saturday and were seated immediately.......in back......waaaay back......which was ok by us since we sat next to a couple of locals who apparently frequents there becuz all the cart ladies and even the owner walked back to their table often so we had no problems calling them over for some food.
they do have some unusual dishes i dont see often at other dim sum restaurants, but they pretty much had every other typical dim sum dishes. their egg tart looked like it had been sitting out awhile, their sweet tofu soup came in a small bowl, but still enough to share between 3 people. the fried bean roll wrapped in noodle was kinda bland.
the place looks old and needs a little bit of renovation but overall the food and service was descent enough. the price wasnt bad either, 3 of us ate for about $35.
I love Dim Sum and this is the place to go in Boston...it's the place we always go :) and actually, if you ask a random person on the street where to go for Dim Sum, they will tell you China Pearl!
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The 4 stars is for the dim sum part. Besides not having some items that I love, the dim sum was pretty good. The prices are good too.
I've never ate anything here for dinner, but I'm guessing dim sum might be good here but the regular dinner items might not be so good. We had a person in the group who was a vegetarian, and none of us knew that beforehand. Nothing on the carts appealed to her, and everything I love has meat in it, so I didn't even know what to recommend to her. In the end, we ordered her a chow mein with vegetables. The dish we were served was really bad. I thought they would make something like normal seafood chow mein, but minus the seafood and more vegetables (granted I've never had seafood chow mein here but I didn't think any Chinese place would mess that up). Instead, the dish seemed to me that the cook back there didn't know what to do and toss in random things...hehe. There was very little sauce, just lots of oil, and some small bits of vegetables and tofu.
Come here for dim sum, but not for dinner.
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This was where I had my introduction to dim sum, and for a while it was the only data point I had. Over the years, my horizons have expanded a bit although it was still always my "usual". For the last 2.5 years though I've been going to Hei La Moon which I always found to be generally better (fresher items, tastier items, although not always as good variety).
I went here for dim sum yesterday with three friends, and my first impression was that I *loved* the atmosphere. When I arrived, I saw that the main dining area on the 2nd floor was decorated in your standard big-restaurant-in-Chinatown decor. Giant gold lions and the like. Yuck. But we got seated on the 3rd floor and I immediately liked the extremely casual cafeteria-like atmosphere of the place.
Anyway, the dim sum here was okay but not great. The turnip cakes were way too glutenous and sweet for me. I like them a little less cloying--then I can add hoisin sauce if I want sweet gooeyness. The buns ranged from okay (bland shrimp) to excellent (traditional one with lots of chives in it). None of the baked desserts looked particularly appetizing, although I tried a mango jello-thing and it was really tasty.
Finally, if you're vegetarian, you probably don't want to eat here. There are other dim sum places (like Chun Shin Yuan in Newton/Watertown) that have a lot more options for veg-heads.
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heres a list of faves
shu mai S
turnip cake w/ hoisin sauce D O
cha siu bao E
clams in black bean sauce L V
shrimp and veggie bun I E
shrimp and veggie in fried wonton wrapper C R
spicy salty fried squid O Y
fried sesame lotus bun U
vegetarian soft egg roll with sauce S
pai gwat (chicken feet)
cheong fan (shrimp rice roll with soy sauce)
WANT ME TO GO ANY FURTHER?
China pearl spans two floors and you can make wedding reservations upstairs. VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY delicious dim sum ya know what else is delicous? THE AMBIENCE.
everything has side effects so on the weekends from 9:00 to 12:00 it is so crowded the line spans two flights of stairs to the entrance and it is crowded like its Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Guangzhou
be an early bird for this meal!!!
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China Pearl has been my family's dim sum restaurant of choice for as long as it's been here - over a decade probably? 3 generations of Hong Kong Chinese cannot be wrong :) We're not so much of a fan of China Pearl for dinner but dim sum is tops. It's consistently good with many choices. There is also lots of seating and the staff is very quick and efficient.
China Pearl still does the old school cart system which I hope never goes away. You can see what you're ordering and continue eating until you get full. I had another good experience here this morning and I continue to go for dim sum here with each trip I make home.
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Can't believe I haven't written a review for China Pearl, a stalwart of Sunday dimsum for collegiate folk. The last time I was there was last December. Went in with my buddy at 3pm and it seemed as if almost all the food was gone. All of a sudden, five cart ladies surrounded our table (meant to seat 8 by the way), urging us on on eat everything! They were really aggressive.
As for the quality of the food, I've always maintained that the dumplings were generally cold, that the flour wrappers were a bit ... mushy (is that the right word?), etc., etc. Always something just a bit wrong with the dishes. I have to try the noodles and the porridges at some point, so check back in for that review.
As a girl who was spoiled by NYC's dim sum I thought I would be a harsh critic, but it was actually a great experience and tasty meal! We went at 11 and got seated right away, but as we were leaving the place was jam packed. However there is tons of seating so I don't think you would have to wait long. There is a good variety and even things I'd never had before. The carts come frequently so your table gets filled quickly with yummy foods.
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One of my friend's favorite restaurant. Just because... he is from Canton. If you like seafood, and meat. This is the place to go. You might also find the way you ordering food is interesting, since they push little cart with food to you and you can pick any food from any cart you want. For me, it's very greasy, and too much protein, I rather eat some food more healthy.
A GREAT dim sum / yam cha place - I think its probably your best bet in Boston. Certain places try to pull off a half-assed dim sum where you either have a small selection, the stuff isn't freshly cooked or something like that, but China Pearl does the real thing. The place is packed at dim sum hours but unless you are with a big group, you won't have to go through a torturous wait.
In other words, don't except anything except a good dim sum experience: lots of noise, lots of great food, low prices, and satisfaction! Did I miss anything?
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While I myself am not a Chinese food guru, I gotta say that the food here is pretty good. I can never remember names or anything like that but I do know there is a lot of dumplings and rice and meat. I go here every now and then to take away those cravings of the orient.
Dim sum is the best time to go, usually waiting in line for 5-10 minutes but its well worth it..
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This place is just alright. The dim sum is fairly standard but they selection is actually quite good. It gets busy but the wait wasn't too bad when I went. It's a little grimy for my taste but the price of the food dictates how clean it is.
Yes, cart ordering is not how I like it but it it much better for the beginning dim sum eater.
Busy, busy location, but worth the wait. Very tasty food and very cheap. Good selection of dim sum, particularly if you dont eat red meat. Lots of fish and shellfish selections. Typical veggies (e.g., asian broccoli). Love the porridge served with pork and the black, preserved egg. And tapioca pudding for dessert. Ahhhh...
I went here on the weekend and this place was PACKED! You had to jab people with elbows just to get your name on the list. Despite that, we were eating in maybe 10 minutes. The staff was busy, but friendly and responsive. They slapped pork in a good 80% of the food, but I still had plenty of options. I enjoyed eating it... but... on the downside... my friend got REALLY sick afterwards. I felt a little bit ill, but my friend (who is a bit more delicate than I) was incapacitated. I'd go back though. You've got carts of food rolling around, a little food poisoning is just a predictable cost of getting to eat this way.
I've never been here for anything other than dim sum (or as my mum likes to call it, "yum cha"), but it more than delivered in terms of satisfaction.
Extremely casual, make sure you get there before 12pm or 1pm if you can help it or else the line will be stretching out the door. Be ready to shout (nicely of course) to the ladies passing by with the carts full of goodies if you see something particularly delicious, and if you can take an East Asian with you to help distinguish, all the better.
Try not to use the bathroom here if you can help it. The water can be questionable to some but serves its purpose, and you should be putting most of your efforts towards concentrating on grabbing the pots/plates you want off those carts and shovelling in all the delicious food - all for reeeeally low prices.
Everyone has their favourites, and they have most of mine here: shrimp dumplings (xia jiao), steamed buns with pork/chicken (tsa sao bao), chinese watercress (ing tsai), crab shao mai dumplings, turnip/radish cakes (luo ba gao), and lotus leaf rice (ball of rice with meats, mushrooms, vegetables etc. wrapped in a lotus leaf.) My only complaint is that they don't have mochi (glutinous rice balls) for dessert, and they don't have my absolute favourite dim sum of all time - xiao long bao (pork dumplings with a little soupiness in them that are some of the most divine things on the planet. i could eat 100. or more). As my bf says, their dumplings (especially the xia jiao) are deliciously "ploompy". Try one and you'll know what we mean!
Just Beware: the lady who comes around sweetly offering you "nice, crispy chicken piece" - just make sure it's not actually the gooey chicken foot/claw that she means. Provided me with much laughter with my more dim-sum-naiive friends at any rate.
I will definitely be back!
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I have also only been here for dimsum. A fast explanation of this is Asian tapas. You'll get lots of different types of dumplings. No Chinese required.. just point and they'll place it on your table.
This is one of the two main places you can get dimsum in Boston. I think this place is a little nicer looking than CC City... and the food is passable (not great, not bad). I think the wait staff is much nicer than what you get at CC City as well. But there is a wait.. because like I said, there isn't many places to get dimsum in Chinatown in Boston. You might have to share a table though.. that's typical, if you don't have enough in your party to take up an entire table.
I've never had dim sum before so I didn't really know what to expect but was excited to try something new. We went for a sort of double date-- I went with my fiance and two friends- I'm curious as to what Laura A. will say about our meal.
It wasn't bad but it wasn't AWESOME. The sesame bun thingies with the red bean paste were my favorite. I had a hard time with some of the textures of things- too slimy for us...especially those fried donuts wrapped in something resembling a bodily fluid...gross. The fried tofu looked promising but seemed to be soaking in some kind of meat sauce and part of it was a huge chunk of fat- again, not so appeali