- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
New China Pearl
- Nearest Transit:
-
Mishawum (Lowell Line)
Mishawum Commuter Rail Station (355)
Ryan Rd @ New Industrial Rd (355)
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30 am - 10 pm
Thu-Fri 11 am - 12 am
Sat 10 am - 12 am
Sun 10 am - 10 pm
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
89 reviews for New China Pearl
Review Highlights
"...were har gao, steamed spare ribs, and roast pork buns."
(in 7 reviews)
"Very nice traditional dimsum foods."
(in 8 reviews)
"The parking lot was large and easy to park in."
(in 9 reviews)
Loading...
89 reviews in English
-
Review from christine t.
Somerville, MA
12/30/2011
So the only thing I don't like like is that they have steamed mustard greens as the "Chinese broccoli" instead of rape greens. That's really my only complaint.
The food is good. I've definitely seen more than 2 carts rolling around at a time. They best time to go is at "rush hour" about 11am-1pm in small groups of 2. Your wait wont be too long and the carts will be out en masse. Larger groups you're better off coming after rush hour, say 1pm -2pm. Dimsum is served I think 10am- 3pm. Coming in a opening time isn't the best cuz they're still ramping up and carts come out one by one.
The parking is not all that plentiful they get packed and its risky parking at the strip mall next door. The mall has security guys that drive around in little white trucks and you have to be careful they don't see you park and then walk across the way. I'm a good doobie so I would NEVER do this.
I think its a little more expensive than Chinatown, but I'm soo gleefully full of steamed pork and veggies euphoria I couldn't really confirm this. They also serve dimsum dishes after hours on the a la carte menu. That's definitely more expensive than the cart-fest, but worth it when a late pm dimsum crave hits. Just a note they don't always have everything on the a la carte menu. -
Review from Tron Van N.
Lowell, MA
12/23/2011
Wow. That's the description of this restaurant in a nutshell. The good wow, too.
Maybe it was luck but I went to this place when it opens for the day @ 10am for their dimsum.
We got seated immediately, carts rushing to our table immediately and it was the feast of our lives. The pricing was standard but the food was fresh and amazing. We about 6-7 dishes and we couldn't finish it even though we tried! It was too good.
We took it home to enjoy the rest of it later but it was the best service I've ever received at a restaurant in my life. They were on their A-game that morning.
Maybe it was luck but I went to this place when it opens for the day @ 10am for their dimsum. -
Review from Marissa T.
Lexington, MA
12/14/2011
ugh! Maybe it was because I went AFTER regular Dim Sum hours, but we ordered from the regular menu and let me just say. The food was good, passable even.
The lobster special (twin for $15.95) was a good deal, but I don't think they were fresh, as there was a bunch of them in a tank that looked like they were already dead.
I had a question for the wait staff about a menu item and how it was prepared and not only did he not have a clue, he didn't offer to go back and check for me.
Now, pricing was reasonable and the menu was extensive. AND I appreciate the free dessert they gave us (although I think they were just trying to get rid of it) but to have wait staff not know their menu was very disappointing. For "burb" version of authentic, I would rate them high. But, I wish they would pay attention to more of the details on how to run a good restaurant. They can't after all expect the crowds from Chinatown to flock to Woburn, right?
The place is cold and somewhat dark too. Definitely in need of renovations. -
Review from Waq R.
Salem, NH
1/27/2012
Friday lunch with coworkers. This place had a GREAT atmosphere inside. Decor was superb and the seating was great for a large group. however, the staff was really confusing about the options for dim-sum or buffet. Also, it was a bit rushed, making a decision and half the table got pushed into the buffet option while the other half was dim-sum. The buffet is nothing to really rave about. They have the worst vegetarian options known to a vegetarian and the staff minding the buffet really had no idea what anything was cooked in. I definitely have had better.
-
Review from Jeff M.
Medford, MA
12/10/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Dim sum outside of Chinatown?? YES PLEASE!!
As dated as NCP looks on the outside, the inside is far from disappointing. It feels like a bygone era of Chinese magic....walking down the long corridor of faux bamboo towards the large dining room. You'll pass a good sized bar on the left as you walk in and I swear that every single customer always has a big smile on their face and are laughing along with the bar tender. Note to self, stop going here only at lunch and check out the bar area one of these times!
The dim sum service is no where near as thorough as one would get in Chinatown. In fact, there may be only one or two carts rolling around at a time. But the options have always been on par with what one would get in the big city and the cart rollers actually do speak a little English, something I've found intimidating when visiting the sister locale in C-town.
From dumplings to shrimp cheung foon to tofu wrappers....I've been pleased with everything I've ever had the nerve to pull off a cart. The only thing one SHOULDN'T do here is go alone for dim sum. They kept pushing more and more dishes on me and when I got my bill it was almost $20. I can't remember the last time I spent that much on a lunch on my own but was a little disappointed I was duped into five different items which I couldn't all finish. Luckily, they didn't give me a hard time taking the leftovers home for another time.
Don't listen to others who complain about the dirtiness of the ceiling (seriously, you spent your time in a restaurant looking up??). The stained glass ceiling is actually rather beautiful and I'm sure is very difficult to maintain over the few decades this place has been around. If you want "clean" and mediocre, head to PF Changs and their bland food. If you want traditional and rather tasty with some minor flaws in decor, head here.....stat. -
Review from Meep M.
Quincy, MA
12/5/2011
Dim Sum might be good but I wouldn't know since I just came here for dinner. From the dark parking lot to the half dead fishes, I don't know if I would come here again. The food was edible but I wouldn't get the lobster special since they were more lobsters in the tank than water. I really think some of them were dead since they couldn't even move. I do give them credit for the decor since they probably spent quick a bit, back in the 1980's!
Meeperlicous? If I was drunk... -
Review from Wang Treecy E.
Dracut, MA
10/24/2011
There's a dimsum place 20 mins away from where we LIVE?!?! Holy China, what have I been missing? The workers here speaks english well *(sorry to be stereoptyical!) and are friendly! Got seated in 10 minutes but in a gigantic table which made it hard to reach for food (not a big deal).
Everything tastes relatively close to chinatown's dimsum which is a plus! However, the chicken feet is really SOGGY, melt in your mouth soggy. My favorite at dimsum is chicken feet sooo yea, sorry! I had to complain. -1 star
Another flaw is that by the time they got to our table, all of the goods were gone: chicken feet, xiu mai, we had to wait an extra 10 minutes for them. BOooOo. - another star.
Ok. 3 stars it is! Oh and amazingly I did not get a bellyache b.c dimsum usually gives me the runs (tmi? sorry!)!! Should I +1 star for that? No, I'll stick to 3! I will surely come again and bring my parents next time! -
Review from Angel C.
Boston, MA
12/12/2011
This place is... OK. I've been here only for dim sum, and it's passable. Lower in quality from what you would find in Chinatown. But if you're close by and don't want to go into the city, this place is a reasonable compromise. They bring out food in push carts for a traditional(?) feel, which I like when I go for dim sum. And they have plenty of parking, so no having to worry about where to leave your car in the city.
-
Review from john s.
Stoneham, MA
10/28/2011
We returned after a long time. This used to be one of the Weylu Restaurants before they went under. Weylu's was known for going overboard with decor. This place in it's day was overboard not nearly as bad as Saugus.
Friday night, not very busy and not a lot of waitstaff. Service was slow and the food was Meh. Steamed Pork bun was good, BBQ Spareribs were a little tough. Ma Po Tofu was very very spicy hot, Chicken with Veggies in Black Bean sauce was good. the House Fried Rice was very light and not your typical crap but it lacked taste.
Some of the menu fish and eel are alive in the tank waiting their turn but after the recent stories about restaurant fish not being what it is listed as, we stayed away.
Most annoying was the lack of attention to common sense stuff. While cleaning a table they dropped a tea pot. Glass shattered all over the place and tea covered the main floor. It stayed that way for over 15 minutes with staff and guests walking around it. Finally the manager noticed and had someone clean it up. A lawyer could make a career just by hanging out here waiting for someone to fall. Made me wonder what goes on in the kitchen. Maybe I don't want to know.
Go back? Not likely. Had to try it but back to Su Chang's. -
Review from Aila F.
Woburn, MA
10/15/2011
The best thing about this place is Dim Sum. No doubt. It is very good.
The reason I gave 3 stars is that when we went for a dinner tonight there was some disappointments;
1. We waited much longer than expected ( The manager told us it's gonna be just a little wait -- like no more than 5min), and we actually waited about 20min.
2. Once we got seated, it was obvious that there are less wait staff around and thus it took so so so long to order, to get food (each dish spaced way apart), and to get the check.
3. The food was OK. (again the Dim Sum is much better) So, I can't recommend coming here other than Dim Sum.
4. The service was OK. (The wait staff never came to check on us)
5. Somehow they lost our check and had to rewrite it which took them a while.
6. When I spoke to the manager and front desk girl, they were (esp the manager) on rude side which I felt not great about this restaurant.
Very sad!!
:(
BTW better not order General Gao's Chicken and Fried Egg Rolls!! -
Review from Mark W.
11/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Dim sum was really good just as good if not better the Chinatown. The service was excellent and the pricing was reasonable.
-
Review from Kristina M.
San Antonio, TX
11/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Although the restaurant could use a little sprucing up, the dim sum selection was really nice and prices were very reasonable. If you don't feel like dealing with trolling for parking in China Town, this is a much better option. The ladies pushing the carts are on a mission to get food from kitchen to table as quickly as possible and sometimes, they are not too patient with customer's questions. Also, one collided with a table and knocked a man down. Despite a few hiccups, I'd definitely go back.
-
Review from Zy T.
North Chelmsford, MA
1/3/2012
Instead of heading to Chinatown, this is my favorite dim sum location which is nearer, and yet pretty good.
-
Review from cristina c.
Boston, MA
What a piece of heaven. Seriously, this place rocks.
So my friend B had texted me yesterday morning about coming to the China Pearl last night, I said sure; game's on and there was karaoke.
I got here a little earlier than the group did, I wanted to grab something to eat and watch the game before karaoke and all that nonsense. I sat down at a table in the bar area and was watching the B's and was greeted by the waitress and she brought me a menu. I ordered a beer and ordered some food. There were two people who helped me and they were awesome.
The hot and sour soup, amazing.
Generals Gaos dinner special, amazing.
Cheap beers.. amazing.
Lots of flat screens to watch the B's, amazing.
Very friendly wait staff, amazing.
Relatively clean bathrooms, amazing.
I think you get my point.
So, I ate and drank as my friends rolled in. We moved to the back of the bar area because karaoke was starting and we wanted to not be at the speaker and also watch the game and be able to talk.
We ended up singing all night. We actually were singing when Ryder scored the OT goal and I sort of feel bad for everyone because.. we yelled along with everyone else.. except we had microphones..
Thursdays are the best there. I've never been there till last night, but Thursdays are the best there! Do it! Go! Or don't so we can go there.
Ah, so much fun. Good food too, dinner was awesome. Reasonably priced everything. It was a great time.Listed in: I wanna go., here fishy-fishy, ROTD's
-
Review from Joe b.
Lexington, MA
12/31/2011
Very good!!!! Dim sum 24 7, very good. Service needs to be dealt with somehow. Don't deal with the owner's daughter!!!! Santa's putting her on the naughty list!!! But overall, the dim sum was good. Try the Steamed Pork Buns and Shu Mai on the Dim Sum menu. Also, be careful about the rip-offs because I got cheated into paying an extra dollar for each dish I paid for!!!! Also, the building is very nice, with the fake bamboo, and the jade stuffs. The building's exterior is crappé and decrepit. Thanks, hope you found this helpful.
-
Review from Charlene D.
Boston, MA
4/25/2011
I went here for dim sum a little over a week ago and was pleasantly surprised with how much better it is than what I remembered last. I believe there is new management in place since I came here last (well over a year ago) and they've definitely improved the place on many levels - quality & taste of the food, efficiency of service and really the fact that there IS service now... and cleanliness too - it's cleaner than it was before.
I came with my husband, brother & his fiancée and after a 10-15 minute wait during peak dim sum hours (weekends from 11-1:30) we were seated. Immediately a waiter came by and asked us what type of tea we'd like. Less than 3 minutes later, our tea was brought to the table. Already, I'm liking this new-found service model.
We didn't have to wait for the dim sum carts to come around - even though we were seated on the upper tier of the restaurant, in a corner, carts kept on coming by and we happily obliged in picking out lots of favorites - ha gao (steamed shrimp dumplings), siu mai (steamed pork & shrimp dumplings), cha siu bao (steamed roast pork buns), stuffed green peppers with shrimp, law bok gow (fried turnip cake), steamed spare ribs with black bean sauce which is now served over noodles, cheong fun with shrimp (rice noodles with shrimp) and foong jow (chicken feet). Not only was the food all well done and tasty but the portions actually seemed larger than what I remembered (or perhaps I've been spending too much time in Asia lately where everything is smaller...). -
Review from mark k.
Peabody, MA
10/23/2011
It's an old fading building but that's ok be because I thought maybe I'd get some old fashioned excellent Chinese food like long ago before everything was breaded and homogenized. The waitresses were friendly. I started with the hot and sour soup which was just ok. However it was a really small portion and they charged $3.75! I then got the shrimp with walnuts. It could have been good because the shrimp were tender and large like I like them and the walnuts were also excellent though a few more walnuts would have been nice. However I have to give the meal a bad grade because there was a disgusting cream sauce that they put on everything. I tried to get the sauce off but couldn't really totally remove it. I don't think I'm going back. So Mayflower in Ipswich remains the only above average Chinese food on the north shore.
-
Review from Mark G.
Lexington, MA
10/16/2011
Not a great place. Seems to need repair. The buffet is mediocre. Service is somewhat lacking, even at the buffet. The dim sum is Ok. Try the Chinese restaurant near the Staples, near the office parks, on Washington Street.
-
Review from Gavin E.
Andover, MA
8/28/2011
Terrible is the only thing I can say to sum it up. I give it zero stars not 1. Where to start, walked in and waited 5 minutes before anyone even showed up at the desk to seat us. There were about 10 people in the restaurant all seemed to be enjoying their meals.
Sat in the run down gazebo with dead flies and other disgusting dirt in the lit up stained glass ceiling. Appetizers came and were frozen in the middle, the waitress looked pissed that we were sending back frozen food like we undercooked it? The second time its was hot, but came out with my buddies entre? 10 minutes later my food finally came, cold. Yes that's correct COLD! The crab Rangoon was cold, and was cooked about 39 mind before, the shrimp in lobster style sauce was cold, and the lobster sauce tasted like cold vegetable oil, the lomein was warm but the pork was cold? So I walked out disgusted, and my buddy had to sit on his own and eat alone. He told the waitress why I'd left and she then ignored him for 25 minutes until he had to get the manager to pay. He got a feeble. Incincere sorry and made the excuse they were busy and they actually charged him for the worst meal I have ever had in my life. I mean if you bring a fried appetizer which is frozen in the middle, have the common decency not to send the same table a cold disgusting entrée.
Save your self the disappointment of wanting good Chinese food but getting this instead. I will never go back, they ruined my night. My cat ate better tonight. -
Review from Steven I.
Burlington, MA
7/24/2011
Had a very good dim sum meal at China Pearl II. Went there around 10:45 on a Sun. was seated immediately. Impressive inside the dishes were pretty good. Overall a very good experience. Will visit again
-
Review from Brittany N.
Lowell, MA
12/31/2010
This was my first time here and I will NEVER come back here again. The service was AWEFUL. The waitress took forever and when we did see her she was very rude. ON TOP of that, they charged my card for 2 drinks I NEVER received. They accused me of taking them. They never made the situation right. The owner refused to speak to me to handle the situation. He had his intimidating bartender do his dirty work. The large man yelled and screamed in my face as a way to try to intimidate me.
Think twice about coming here. -
Review from serena l.
Medford, MA
12/30/2010
I heard about this place from a co-worker and decided to give it a try, since i didn't feel like trekking out to boston (where i usually go). i liked that this place is easy to get to and has a parking lot, definite plusses on my list! i didn't know what to expect from this place but i wasn't disappointed. the food was great and service was not bad. the main dining area is a bit smaller due to the design but it's not bad.
we didn't have to wait since we went on a weekday at about 11:30am, but it started to get busy as we were leaving around 1pm.
all in all, i'd definitely come back for dimsum! -
Review from Terry T.
Nashua, NH
9/5/2011
Solid dim sum to scratch that itch, but compared to what we could get in other cities or in Boston (China Town) it's a solid 3 stars. Location is mor convenient to us than driving all the way into the city, and service is efficient.
My biggest disappointment is that the Lo Bak Ko (turnip cakes) are often cold when they should be hot from being pan-fried -
Review from Michele G.
North Andover, MA
8/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place needs some serious TLC. From the outside it looks as though the place has been abandoned for years. The inside is beautiful, from what I'm told it used to be a super fancy place....how things do change.
The Dim Sum was yummy, but I was a little underwhelmed with the selection. DIRTY bathroom....ugh! If I had known I would have thought twice about eating here. Something floating in my water?? It wasn't food, definitely wasn't alive anymore! Waitresses were cool, not to much pressure (good as I'm pretty sure their commisioned off their sales).
The novelty of Dim Sum is what did it for me. It was my kids first experience and try had a ball. Probably won't be back, but overall good experience. -
Review from kat t.
11/29/2010 9 photos
Great service and friendly. Came here 1st for dim sum but we left cause it was way way to busy. Then we decided to try it again. This time we came at nite. The owner was so friendly. Was it because no one was there. But still awesome. I guess everyone was at the bar. LOL.
The food was good but of course I am comparing it to L.A. chinese food. But we are in Woburn so I guess it's good. The owner was so awesome he gave us his speciality of a fish (eeehhh it was ok) it was free what can you say.
All in all we had a great dinner and great service. -
Review from Joanne G.
11/28/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Outstanding wonton soup
Very good pork fried rice
Very good ma pa tofu (with meat)
good mixed veggies
I've been there for dim sum -mmmm mmmm good
But you guys know (or should know or will know now) how I feel about wonton soup and pork fried rice - I'm super picky.
So happy to have had a bowl of wonton soup with more than just the dumplings - heavy on the veggies makes me a happy person
They were really attentive and the place is HUGE. Lots of seating and they have a buffet on Sunday nights (we are definately going to try them out!!)
Easy to find, right off 128, great parking - huge lot in the back and friendly people, what more could one ask for? -
Review from JD H.
Medford, MA
1/13/2011
This place is so fun for Dim Sum. You just sit at a table and servers keep coming by with fresh food on carts! I loved the shrimp roll the best. The shumai was a little dried out for my taste.
Really yummy and fun! Great for large parties!
And super affordable too! -
Review from Betty P.
Peabody, MA
3/14/2010
1 star for not having to find parking at Chinatown
1 star for being just two exits away from me on the highway
1 star for a short wait if you get there before 11:30am on the weekends
1 star for having dimsum 7 days a week now!
1 star for fresh dimsum . . . some goodies were har gao, steamed spare ribs, and roast pork buns. The shrimp rice roll, shui mai, and other dishes were just okay.
Okay so I know that adds up to 5 stars, but I can't give out that fifth star just yet. The food could still use some improvement. Some of the dishes weren't even served hot and the entire side room was empty, but they sat the 6 of us (including two kids) at a tiny table which could barely accommodate more than 4 dishes at once. Service was also gruff and not particularly friendly.
Their website is really good for dimsum novices though. There are photos of most selections in case you were wondering what that was that you ate!
Another plus is that this place is MUCH cleaner than any Boston Chinatown establishment. But alas, I still have yet to find a dimsum joint in New England that compares to dimsum in NYC. I will be back though to see if I can give out that 5th star! -
Review from Craig C.
Boston, MA
1/8/2010 ROTD 2/21/2010
Dim Sum actually means small heart which was interesting to me on that day we went to China Pearl in Woburn, because I had my Mother in Law with me and calling her Dim Sum became an extremely funny inside joke to me.
Although her decision to call me Dum Dum and get all the Chinese ladies serving us to also call me this proved to be far funnier to them and most of the people eating with me that day including my own kids and our friends kids as well which once again proves:
That if you can dish it out you better be able to take it as well.
NOW speaking of dishing it out....... I had never done Dim Sum before and had been dying to do this in China Town so when I found out there was a China Pearl up the road in Woburn we had to go check it out. If you are from the North Shore this is very convenient. It's right near the intersection of Route's 128 and 93.
It's a huge place with plenty of parking and the fact that everyone in the parking lot (nearly) was Chinese immediately gave me a good feeling. The lot was packed! Although the restaurant was very crowded we were a group of 8 and had a reservation. The table was ready and waiting and be warned, on a weekend if you have less than 8 they won't give you a res. and you may have to wait a little.
The servers immediately swarmed our table with little carts of steaming food NONE of which I recognized. I just started taking one of everything. Many many different dumplings arrived. They had shrimp, beef, pork, something green...... I took anything that had seafood in it. We got soup, giant whole shrimp which were awesome and clams in black bean sauce which were aslo very good. Some of the dumplings were good and some were not. The kids wanted spare ribs and it took way too long to get some.
The service is sporadic. You have your main waiter or waitress but they aren't always around so if you want water or something special you have to get proactive and grab someone (maybe in a headlock) to get what you need. But the trays keep coming and if you are brave and have some cash trying new things can be fun. Almost everything got eaten and compared to going out for say, sushi this is relatively cheap. Although I would far prefer sushi.
I think if I do this again I want someone with me who is very familiar with the food and can order for me. It was a fun experience which takes a distance second or third after lobsters, steak, sushi and regular Chinese.
The place was huge, clean, easy to get to, and just as good at what's in China Town I would imagine. Overall not bad!
Oh and don't call me Dum Dum. -
Review from Lynne S.
Stoneham, MA
6/29/2009
This place sort of looks like a run down Forbidden City from the outside, but walking through the front doors you realize how beautiful it might have once been.
Now, I'm by no means a dim sum expert - this was only my second dim sum experience - but I loved it. I thought the selection was great. Many of the waiters and waitresses spoke pretty good english so they could answer my questions about what I was eating, the food was delicious, parking was super easy with a big lot out back and best of all, its only about 10 minutes away from my house!
I will most definitely be back!Listed in: Ethnic Favorites, Sunday Brunch Greats
-
Review from Freelunch L.
Hudson, MA
8/31/2010
Ever wonder why there are no 5 or even 4 star Chinese restaurant?
Where is fresh, healthy, presentation, quality, clean, ambiance, service, ...?
This is a place to go if you want dim sum and don't want to go into Chinatown. The place needs sprucing up. The website looks like it was done by a high school kid for a free meal.
1 star for free parking.
1 star for having dim sum. -
Review from Eric L.
Woburn, MA
2/9/2010
When I lived in California, I craved the Chinese menu favorites that I grew up with here in Boston. I used to say, "I miss fake Chinese food." Crab rangoon, lobster sauce, chicken wings, shrimp fingers; these items do not appear on many menus out West. If they do, be prepared for a little culture shock -because even chicken wings may come out different than you expect. Now that I'm back in MA, I crave my San Francisco Chinese menu stand-bys. New China Pearl has them and I'm happy to give them my business.
I go to New China Pearl for the chicken with salted fish fried rice, the salt and pepper pork chops, and other Chinese dishes that I grew attached to during my 12 year stay in the SF Bay Area. These items do not appear on many menus back East. New China Pearl also has dim sum, parking, high chairs for the kids and an American-style Chinese lunch buffet for my "fake Chinese food" favorites.Listed in: It's Noon in Burlington, MA
-
Review from Matthew A.
Salem, NH
Updated - 9/13/2008 6 photos
When I called to get lunch today, they told me that I have their old menu and that they are new.
The "New China Pearl" looks very much the same, however when I got there so much is being updated.
A new roof was being installed, the exterior was being prepped for paint and remodel.
2 new Chinese guys in suits stood at the reception desk and told me that they now have dim sum EVERYDAY! 10:00 and 3:00. They also have a lunch buffet.
The menu is still traditional Hong Kong specialties and many more noodle dishes as well as lunch specials on the menu.Listed in: Woburn Lunch
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
9/12/2008
The China Pearl is now closed. It has reopened as the New China Pearl and has new managment.
I wil… Read more »
-
-
Review from Susan D.
Burlington, MA
9/24/2009
Came here to try dimsum outside of Boston. It was just like being in Boston, but no hassle with parking. It is strange building as in it doesn't have a classic front door. However, you drive around to the back and you park and enter a non-descript door. We sat under a very interesting ceiling decor. Light comes in, but you actually don't see the outside, which is great since who wants to see Woburn anyways.
The carts came by often enough to keep my hubby and me happy. Unfortunately we came to early (around 11am) that we got full before the lunch stuff started its rounds. Seriously even I didn't have room for spicy fried calamari. -
Review from Burger B.
Boston, MA
2/23/2009 1 photo
The service in the New China Pearl is very hit or miss. A lot of it depends on where they seat you.
I've noticed that when our group is seated in the central part of the main dining room (under the round glass ceiling), the squeaky dim sum carts roll by frequently.
Get seated on the right-hand side (up the stairs), however, and you may notice that service is a bit patchy. I recently stopped in for dim sum with a group and they seated us -- guess where -- the dreaded upper landing. By the time all the carts had made their second circle, our group of eight was already in MSG heaven and ready for our check.
Tip: If you do get seated in the less-traffic area up on the landing and really want a specific dish (shumai is my weakness), ask the waiter and they're usually cool about bringing it out to you. -
Review from michael m.
Boston, MA
11/10/2007
HOLY WOW!
Best Chinese I have had out of the city. It's not even close. This place is huge, so I've never had a wait for a table. The decor inside is great -- you feel very cultured.
The service is impeccable -- whether it's for an early lunch or during the dinner rush. The prices are more than reasonable, but for the best bargain, get the lunchtime all you can eat buffet. The food is amazing, and the price can't be beat. Plus, if you do the buffet, you can be in and out in less than a half hour, which is good for a quickie lunch. -
Review from Matthew D.
Stoneham, MA
11/25/2007
Not bad.
I went here for a friend's birthday get-together recently. By the time I arrived (8:30-9:00 PM), everyone else there had already eaten. I was starving, so I decided to order up some drinks and food.
It was getting late and I just wanted to stuff my face with some greasy appetizers, so I got a Pu Pu Platter, an order of Peking Dumplings, and a shitload of Long Island Iced Teas.
Prices? Fair.
Portions? Generous.
Atmosphere? Pretty spacious, but I was there on a Sunday night and it seemed slow.
Service? Decent.
Food? Pretty much what I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I don't know what else to say. I didn't go here for a fine-dining experience, but more of a late night snack. At any rate, I would come back and order something a little more sophisticated. -
Review from Andrea K.
Boston, MA
9/3/2009
So growing up in Woburn I use to remember coming here when it was Weylu's and they had GREAT chinese food but I am not into China Pearl as much as I was hoping. My bf and I stopped in here to try this place out and we were hoping to make this our "americanized chinese food place" but we decided otherwise.
The decor is still the same from many years go although the bar seems to be full of the late night Woburn-ites that just got there paycheck and want to spend it on booze, not that wonderful of a crowd. We waited at the booth to be escorted to a table and handed menus and asked what we would like to drink. We ordered lobster dumplings, chicken fingers, chicken lo mein, and soft shell crab in spicy garlic salt.
The lobster dumplings were mixed with shrimp which is fine by me but the wrapping was a rice wrap and i am not big on those so it was a disappointing appetizer. Chicken fingers were good but duck sauce was a bit thicker than I normally like. Chicken lo mein was nothing special but decent to eat. Soft shell crab was VERY spicy and VERY salty but I enjoyed it. My bf didnt eat that much as it was very spicy but he enjoyed it as he could but it didnt sit well with him at all.
For the dishes we got the bill was a bit high for the quality.
We wouldnt go back here because the amount of money we spent we could go to Mary Chungs in Central Square and get double the food and leave there happy and full with left overs.
Oh and my bf got very sick when we got home from the crab I believe which sucked but I guess it just didnt sit well at all.
Service was attentive and decent, decor was good and creative, food i think you could get better somewhere else. -
Review from Jane B.
Stoneham, MA
2/21/2010
When you don't feel like treking to Chinatown, this sister restaurant of China Pearl in Boston is ideal. The parking lot can get a bit crazy and tough to find a spot, but if you hang out for a couple of minutes, a spot usually opens up.
I've sat in the bar area for food, which is dark and kind of typical of a bar area in a Chinese restaurant (or at least of quite a few I've visited). They have the gambit of liquor-filled drinks you'd expect from Zombies to beers.
Most recently we hit the place up for some Dim Sum. Typical of any experience, the servers float around the space with their carts of savory dumplings, sweet buns, steamed greens, soups and porridge. I'm no expert when it comes to Dim Sum, but I know that it's OK to ask what is in what, and here they are very willing to answer your questions.
Dim Sum is fun because each plate is not that expensive and you can try a wide variety of items.
Recently on their website, I saw that they are bringing Dim Sum to a daily occurrence and not just a weekend affair.
Definitely a fun time and very good bang for your buck.Listed in: Just Eat It, My Inner Townie
-
Review from Kris M.
6/28/2009
Went here for Dim Sum with my boss and the rest of our group, 11 people. Really nice architecture, the lobby in particular is pretty stunning. Excellent decorations inside.
The food was good, more or less on par with some of the better dim sum restaurants I've been to in SF and Denver. Our table was in an awkward place, possibly because of the large group - we were up some (5) stairs, so the carts couldn't directly go past us. Instead, they would stop at the bottom of the stairs, let us know what they had, and one or two of us would go down and pick what we wanted out. On the ground level it was more or less normal, so ours was not exactly a typical experience.
Stomach feels a bit rumbly and unsettled after the meal, though. Also have that weird feeling of full, but not really full, which I attribute more to the nature of the food and Chinese food in general than any particular issue with the restaurant's food. If you're in the area, or don't mind the 20-min drive, I'd recommend China Pearl.
