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4 stars with reservation. When we get craving for dim sums, we go here. I like dim sums and I've been to many different places in Boston, Flushing, and Manhattan.
The stuff I like and almost always get are good here: various steamed dumplings, especially the shrimp kinds.
Their fried stuff doen't look that great. The steamed buns, I've had better. The sea snails are decent as long as you can eat them fast enough that they don't get cold. Their chicken feet didn't look as appetizing here and their steamed tripes are a bit tough (although the flavor is right)
I try to hunt the cart ladies down myself cause they take a bit to go around, unless you get a seat next to the kitchen.
My one and only visit was for a lunar banquet. The food was terrible and tasted very low quality. One of my friends could not eat any of the courses. The restaurant seemed a little dirty and the restrooms were just a step above McGlinchy's, perhaps only because they were larger.
Maybe their regular menu is good, but I won't risk it! The only minor highlight of the evening was the dragon parade through the restaurant.
The dim sum here is okay. The food didn't taste very fresh nor flavorful. My friend and I stumbled into this place during a walk through Chinatown.
I wouldn't come back.
I knew I'd stumbled upon a gem when I was seated at Ocean Harbor and realized everyone around me was Chinese. "They are doing something right here," I thought to myself. As a general rule of thumb, I tend to avoid ethnic restaurants that fail to attract their own. However, in the three times I visited Ocean Harbor, I'd never found dishes that truly wow-ed me.
All of that's changed now, and it's because I went with a Chinese friend.
It's absolutely the truth. Every other visit has had me salivating over the food at everyone else's table, but only semi-satisfied with the food before me. I tried the Peking duck (don't waste your time, go to Sang Kee Peking Duck), the Singapore noodles (generic), and a bunch of other mediocre dishes that barely suppressed hunger, and failed to impress. When I visited last night, I told my friend with a straight face, "Hey, let's order some General Tso--it looks yummy." She looked at me like I had antlers growing out of every facet of my face, and then sniffed in disdain with, "This is an authentic Chinese restaurant. We never order those kinds of dishes." (Did I mention that she's the out-of-towner and I was supposed to be showing her around?)
Case-in-point: Last night I was wowed by the asparagus and crab soup--I don't even LIKE asparagus but this broth was thick, eggy, and wholly satisfying. The beef and chinese broccoli was delicious (minus the fact that the pieces were ginormous, but I like having that kind of problem), and my friend and I split the lobster with ginger and scallion dish. I've never tried lobster prepared this way, and it was tasty. And generously-portioned family style for two people left yours truly a very happy patron indeed.
So I have three dishes I will be sure to try again during my next Ocean Harbor visit, and highly recommend that you should try, too. My only problem now is that I'll have to wait awhile before I can try anything new on the menu. You know, until I can go with another Chinese friend.
Fantastic place for Dim Sum...best I've had in the city so far. Personally, I think it's better than Joy Tsin Lau, which is right across the street.
The dumplings (especially the ones of the shrimp variety) are fantastic. I've been here on four or five different occasions and try something new every time or see something I hadn't seen before....it's great. Try the squid...you won't be disappointed.
Cheap as well if you go for dim sum. I've never been here for dinner.
I had a dim sum craving and was generally distrusting of Dim Sum Garden's interior, despite having read great reviews. I had been to Ocean Harbor once a few years back and remembered a good experience, so I decided to come here instead.
The dim sum was decent. The service from our actual server was not very good - it took forever to get water and soda. The carts could have come around more often, but then again, it was pretty busy.
I'll probably try Joy Tsin Lau after this.
We come here for Dim Sum all the time. Reliable consistent and delicious. The service is always the same, I can only call it "Chinese". I recommend!
I want to rate it higher, cuz i really like coming here. But it probably only deserves a 3-star.
I think people have to take dim sum at ocean harbor within the context of typical authentic chinese dim sum. Things that you might not expect if you have never been to an authentic dim sum place:
1) You cannot expect a personal waiter to serve you and check in on you. They take your tea order and that's about it.
2) The place is crowded, and the staff is overworked.
3) This is a positive thing, because it means the food is actually good!
4) It is acceptable to get up and walk to a cart if you want something from it. The ladies can't possibly swing by every table, and the good stuff runs out fast.
5) If at all possible, try and sit within 10 feet of the door to the kitchen. It might be loud, but you get first dibs on the good stuff.
6) You can always order the things you don't see. Just flag down a waiter.
7) If you want more tea, flip the lid up.
8) Cantonese people (and pretty much all Chinese people) get insane about their food. They will push, shove, and claw to get the food they like. It's not rude, it's part of the culture.
That said, Ocean Harbor is the closest thing I've found in Philly to good dim sum places in Hong Kong. Go here, take a number, man up, and enjoy.
Been going here for a while, but my visit this morning gives me an interesting story! Here goes...
1) Got seated, guy with broken English yelled at us for not understanding his attempt at saying "What kind of tea do you want? Do you drink tea?" I'm Asian, and I'm good with accents. Weird.
2) Only service we got was from the friendly cart lady and food. Assigned waiter never once came over, even when I signaled for him to come over.
3) Made the decision to pay the bill and leave without a tip, knowing full well the consequences after reading Mindy C's review.
4) As we left, jackass waiter had the nerve to say, "You forgot to leave tip!" at the top of the stairs with all of the patrons waiting to be seated around us. Everyone got quiet, and I replied back, "You didn't even serve us."
In my hero moment, I turned around and continued down the stairs.
5) Much to my surprise, he actually followed us outside (per Mindy C's experience). So we knew what to do, we just turned around, shook our heads, and continued walking. It felt great. Actually, it was kind of funny because it transpired EXACTLY as Mindy C wrote, down to the street chasing.
Now, the food here isn't that bad, I go on occasion with a group of friends. I just feel like giving one star for the non-service we got. I wonder if they'll kick me out next time I go with a group. I'll even wear the same blue UPenn sweater today so they can recognize me. Fantastic!
My kids are not super-adventurous eaters, but they had been wanting to try dim sum for a while, so we took them to Ocean Harbor. 8 hours later, I'm still feeling full.
Awesome fried octopus. My husband really loved their clams, but they were a little too salty for me. My kids liked the chicken dumplings, and my daughter was crazy for their soup--I'm not sure exactly what was in it, beyond rice noodles.
Crowded, but all the best dim sum places are on a Sunday at lunchtime.
The grand-daddy of all Chinatown dim sum/ Cantonese restaurants, Ocean Harbor delivers da goods! There's a reason why people wait in line on weekend mornings for dim sum. (Pro tip: in any Chinatown the world over, ALWAYS follow the crowds.)
The dim sum is the best in C-town. Naturally they have the standard shrimp and pork dumplings, radish cake, chicken feet or tripe for the adventurous, fried eggplant or Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce for the "healthy" portion of the meal, etc. etc... but it's also nice that they have a good selection of more unusual stuff and some tasty desserts as well. The quality is consistently very high. No soggy egg tarts or flimsy dumpling wrappers here.
For dinner, Ocean Harbor keeps with its big-selection, high-quality theme. For big groups and special occasions (graduation, birthday, Chinese New Year), I especially recommend the set dinners. It's a TON of food for a very reasonable price per person. I've had so many excellent dishes here it's hard to pick a few to highlight: lobster Cantonese, whole steamed fish, chicken with spicy salt (sorry, forgot the real name), salted fish fried rice, oh and my absolute favorite, fish maw soup! Most of these are standard with the set meals.
As for the service, well, it's usually pretty efficient, though you occasionally encounter a rude or negligent waiter or waitress. Considering this is an authentic Chinese restaurant, that's actually not bad. The whole "customer service" thing is relatively unknown in the old country.
I had been craving dim sum for the longest time. I've lived in Philly for nearly 6 months now and have only been once (I think it was at the end of January). So finally, Chris (my husband) and I woke up early enough to head over to Chinatown at a decent hour.
We waited for about 15 minutes before our number was called. Much to my surprise, we didn't have to share an 8-person table, but had a two-seater all to ourselves. The manager walked us over to a table, where a waiter was changing the tablecloth. He said something to us in incomprehensible English, and Chris and I looked at him blankly. We're pretty good with accents, especially Asian ones, but we had no idea what this guy said. He said something in Chinese, and again we looked at him blankly. Finally, in frustration, he said loudly, "What kinda tea you want? You drink tea?!" I said, no thanks, no tea.
He stormed off.
A few minutes later, he came back to our naked table, arranged a tablecloth on it, and rudely threw down plates and chopsticks.
Chris and I looked at each other like, dude, what is this guy's problem? Don't get mad at me because we can't understand your horrible Engrish, buddy!
Dim sum ladies came around, we got a few dishes, and naturally, we wanted to flag someone down for drinks. No one came near us, including our waiter. At one point, Chris tired to flag him down, but he ignored us. Mind you, we had no water at our table either, despite having declined the tea.
Thirty minutes into our meal, I got fed up and said, "Let's just go. This is ridiculous." I decided right then and there that I would not leave a tip for this fool. NOT SOMETHING I NORMALLY DO-- I'm not afraid to tip generously when service has been excellent. But this was to the point where it seemed like we didn't have anyone assigned to our table.
Knowing what we would get ourselves into (see Mindy C's review), Chris gave me cash. I paid up front, took our dollar change, and we proceeded to walk out the door-- opposite of where our table had been. We were walking down the steps toward the entrance, steps that were flanked on either side by patrons waiting to be seated (about 30 people or so). Then I heard, "Excuse me, excuse me!" Kept walking. "Excuse me sir!" I turned around, knowing Chris was right behind me. I saw the waiter and Chris facing each other.
"You forget to leave tip!" said the watier.
To which Chris replied, "You didn't even serve us."
Everyone around us quieted down. I gave the waiter a dirty look and said, "Yeah, you definitely didn't serve us."
We walked out of the restaurant. Once we were a few paces away, I heard, "Hello, hello!" I turned around to see Wonderboy standing outside of the restaurant, trying to wave us back. I waved back and said, "Hi!"
Having read the reviews on Yelp, we knew how the workers of this place were notorious for chasing people down and badgering them for either not leaving tip or not leaving enough tip, which is why we knew not to use a debit or credit card. No way we would have left our information with this place!
I'm just appalled that this guy had the nerve to run out after us after he yelled at us AND ignored us!
I was warned before arriving here that we would have a long wait ahead, but surprisingly, we walked… Read more »
The dim sum really is great, here. The carts come around frequently and timely. It's really nice to turn carts away, knowing that you will have a second chance to enjoy their tasty morsels. Yes, yes, it can get busy, but the wait is always worth it. Besides, you know that once you get a seat, you won't wait long for yummy food!
If you leave their dim sum hungry, you are a fool.
That said, I am not thrilled by the place during non dim sum hours. The service is slow and shoddy, even if there's only one other party eating. Also, the dishes just aren't that exciting. They do have a bar, which is nice for dinners.
I am always up for their dim sum. Who would like to join me?
My husband and I needed to get our dim sum fix yesterday and we always go to Imperial Inn because in Philly there are really so few good choices of dim sum restaurant in Philadelphia for us to pick from. I have gotten MSG poisoning from one at Washington Ave. My brother love Joy Tsin Lau and my husband love Imperial Inn. I decided I need to find one that I love. I always see a line of Asian people waiting at Ocean Harbor and this cannot be bad. I have to give it a try. I told my husband that people at Yelp gave it good reviews...we have to give it a try. So, we did and order the usual.
1. We got seated in 2 minutes but we had to share a table. You can request to get your own table.
2. The waiter ask what for tea order as well as your drinks preferred (soda, water)
3. the carts and lady with the tray comes to the table. They have everything from shrimp balls, to chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, stuff peppers, spring rolls, traditional braised chicken feet, tripe which is braised with ginger and garlic, clams sautee with black bean sauce, salt bake calamari, they also serve dessert.
We decide to order our favorites. It was delicious. The siu mai was delicious. That is one critical one for my husband. It is his favorite dim sum. I love my bean curd roll. It was perfect. It was the best bean curd roll. I have awful ones. We will definitely come back again for more dim sum with our friends and my dad. He will be the judge because he needs his steam pork buns. That will pass or fail the test.
It's not just horrible service, the people who work there are actually mean! It's places like this that gives Chinese restaurant service a bad rep. It's def not worth it to raise your blood pressure over mediocre dimsum!
My friends and I went there earlier today, and we paid with credit card at the front desk and left a 20% tip on the card. As we were wrapping up and getting ready to leave, the waitress actually came to yell at us to insist that we must leave a cash tip at the table. I explained to her that we had left a tip on the card, and she gave me a dirty look and walked away. At this point, I thought "ok, this is incredibly rude," but we shrugged it off.
Just as soon as we walked out of the door, the manager ran out after us and angrily told us that our tip was too small. At this point, I was pretty ticked but kept my composure and told him (in both Chinese and English, I'm bilingual baby) that tips are really optional and attitudes like that deserve no tip. He actually retorted "who the hell told you that?" and put his hand in my face. I'm just pissed that I didn't go back after him and tear up the receipt.
Contrary to prior reviews, we were seated quickly here right in the height of the Dim Sum craze on a weekend morning. All of the dishes we received were hot, tasty, and quick. I really enjoyed everything I got, even though I really can't say I know exactly what exactly it was.
Be prepared, though for sub par drink service/regular waiting service as I basically had to ask for water three times before going and retrieving it myself. I would just order those kinds of things right away if you can.
Ocean Harbor's dim sum is OK. Joy Tsin Lau across the street is consistently serving steaming hot carts full of food, while Ocean Harbor isn't always on top of it. Plus their carts take forever to get around. My biggest gripe? the line takes for. e. ver.
As far as dim-sum in Philadelphia, this might be the place to go.
Went here a couple of times, the last time we went on a Saturday it was TOTALLY packed and the wait was close to one hour. And we had to share a table. But still, it was okay.
As for the eats. Being a pesco-vegetarian, it was possible for me to find a few things that I could eat. Of course, most dimsum is meat-based and my boyfriend had much more fun. I did like the snails and the few vegetable dishes as well as some of the shrimp dishes.
Last time my boyfriend also got a seafood fried rice which apparently they took "seafood" to also mean "chicken". That was a bit disappointing since they didn't tell us that until it was already made. So my boyfriend ended up eating it by himself.
The variety for someone who eats anything is pretty large and the carts do come around often with different things available.
Will I go back? Probably, but more so for the boyfriend than for my own stomach. Of course, I didn't take them down any points for not catering to my dietary preferences, but I won't be frequenting here as much as I would otherwise. Oh, and I guess it also wouldn't help me keep my waistline down.
Certainly, one of the better dimsum places in the center of Philly's Chinatown. Busy, too, with pretty long waits on the stairs if you're later than the church crowds on weekends. No elevator to the second level of steps, though, so not as good as expected.
Tables are the typically crowded, pink-covered tables that handle from two to around twelve comfortably, although sometimes they cram you in with fifteen. You have to ask carefully for real hot chili peppers here, and vinegar, but generally the dimsum that comes out doesn't need too much tweaking.
The best dish for Philly dimsum for me - the ginger scallion tripe. Nothing too exotic at this location, it's definitely serving up mostly the old favorites.
Dim Sum starts at 1030--NOT 11 as the sign states. This is important because we waited at least a half hour for a table and we arrived at 11.
I love Dim Sum because you try all kinds of crazy stuff. My lunching companion however had never had Dim Sum before and I think he found the experience of not knowing what was what a bit overwhelming. (PS I loved the Jello stuff, so did another member of our party. McThrill was too much of a wimp to try it :P )
The service was really poor. It wasn't that it was too full. (It was REALLY REALLY full). Ladies with the carts were just sitting there looking at the dining room, not coming around. We didn't get water until about 30 minutes in.
It was ok, but I'd probably not go back on a Sunday morning.
Always a fun spot for Sunday dim sum. There's lots of variety, some standard and some exotic. Enjoy the standard dumplings and pork buns, but be adventurous with the seafood - squid, clams, shrimp. Well worth it.
Get there by 11:30 AM or you'll be waiting a while, and don't be afraid to offer to share a table - you'll be seated much faster.
Man this place is a long ass wait for some good ass dim sum! lol
This definitely is the hotspot for dimsum!!! Everybody goes here!!
and the food, omg the BEST DIM SUm food!!! its sooo good and lots and lots of selections! yummy!!! mm i want some now lol
But theres some bad points about it.
1. you are gonna wait forever, so you get a number and let your friend find parking (cuz thats impossible to find especially on a sunday).
2. the service for some drinks or water is really horrible. the waiter spilled water on me cuz he didnt pay attention when he was pouring cuz he was busy lookin at something else and he didnt say sorry at all. (thats because he was an old chinese old head...hes lucky he didnt speak english) lol...and it was kinda rude 1 time when we really by accident forgot to leave tip and they came running to us and said "TIp?" we were like...wooww...i thought tip was optional but yes we forgot, but dam! lol.
also i think they can validate your parking tik if you parked at the garage across the st. 2 dollar discount? i think?? im not sure! lol
Intimidating while your waiting for a table. But once you sit down to eat it delivers pure bliss on food carts!
When you arrive make sure you grab a number as soon as you arrive otherwise your going to stand around in a state of confusion for awhile. I made that mistake because I'm a noob. But once they calll your number it feels like you won the power ball, or have been chosen as a contest on The Price Is Right. Come On Down!
The food can range from amazing to intimidating,But be prepared to check through every cart that comes your way and pick out the one treasured food. Chicken Feet, Chinese Broccoli, and that scary cooked jello thingy that moves? NO THANKS! But load me up with shrimp toast, sesame chicken, and any kind of dumpling and I'm satisfied!
The bigger the group the better the experience it can be which is why it was awesome to go with some fellow Yelpers. So be prepared to get at least 4 people together.
ARRIVE EARLY! otherwise, you'd just be standing in line for quite some time ... when you want dim sum over the wknds.
and i'd pick ocean harbor over joy tsin lau any day ...
There are a few options for dim sum when you're in China town, however, not of all of the options are good...but Ocean Harbor is quality dim sum.
Most of the dishes here are good...however, I am disappointed that they don't serve the hot tofu stuff. Be aware that if you get here later than 10:30, you are to wait for at least 20 minutes for a table. Look, you have to wait for good food.
The service is also slow because the carts takes forever to get to you since there are so many tables and not enough cart to service everyone quickly. Also adding more carts wouldn't be a good idea or else the carts won't be able to move period! I don't know, I guess we're stuck with the slower service for the food? Another thing, if you're a small group and you don't mind sharing a table, they'll offer that option, but be ware of weird people that will steal some of your food just to "try it" before they decide if they want to order it for themselves. Yes, that has happen to me (once or twice).
I think prices here are "normal', meaning they're about the same as anywhere else..but then again, I can't read Chinese so I can't really say as to how much each dishes cost, I just pay for it.
It's not the best dim sum I've ever had but it's also not the worst. Taste-wise, the dim sum at Ocean Harbor was pretty fresh but a bit too greasy for my tastes. I was impressed by the variety of dim sum that was offered between the ladies pushing the carts and the other ladies wielding trays full of food. They have a nice array of fried foods, steamed foods and sweets. The constant barrage of food led to my friends and I totally over-ordering (I believe they call that "ordering with your eyes"). It's amazing how little dishes of dim sum can add up when you have 15+ dishes on your table at one time.
Service at Ocean Harbor is curt but fairly typical of what one should expect while eating in Chinatown. I remember asking a bus boy if he could bring us some waters and all I got for a response was "wait" and a roll of the eyes. The funny thing is, I wasn't even mad about the way he responded to my request because the way he said it, combined with the rocking haircut he was sporting ... it was all very fierce in that "Christian from Project Runway" kind of way.
So there you go. Tasty/greasy dim sum + fierce bus boys. Consider yourself warned.
Basic dimsum and pretty good for East Coast (i miss west coast). Prices for dimsum aren't bad: $2 for small, $2.50 for medium, $3 for large. Get there around 11 and 12 and there isn't much of wait. After that, good luck.
Minus points for the waiter who yelled at us when we forgot to tip.
I went here for the 2nd time today and had a pretty good experience. Joy Tsin Lau is my favorite place, but the food here is decent. The place was crowded when my mom & I arrived at around 12:30 so it's probably best to go early.
The food was pretty decent & tasty and they had a pretty nice variety of dim sum dishes. But I'm sure that we didn't get to see all the carts where we were sitting...we didn't even get the cart with the buns :(
My favorite dishes were the salty shrimp and flat noodles.
Ocean Harbor has the best dim sum in Philly's Chinatown. Don't be alarmed by the massive amount of people waiting on the steps when you walk in, the line usually moves pretty fast.
They have all the popular items like the steamed shrimp dumplings called "Har-Gau" in Cantonese, pork/veggie/shrimp wrapped in wonton shells- "Siew Mai", pork ribs in blackbean sauce-"Pie-Gawt", fried turnip cake-"Lo-Bah-Gong" and the beef in a long white noodle called "Nu-Tsong". Ok, ok I mixed up canto with mandarin plus my "pinyin" needs a lot of help but if you sound it out, you'll be on the right track! If you're not chinese and make an effort to pronounce these items your effort would be appreciated and applauded (if not, I applaud you in spirit)! They even have some entrees from the menu that they portion out and serve as dim sum. It's a good way to get a flavor of the restaurant food after dimsum hours. What I like most about their dim sum is that I find it less oily (is that possible?) than most of the neighboring restaurants. Another thing people forget is that the tea is such a great compliment to the food during Dimsum! I usually go for a red tea called "Bo-Lay" and my dining companion enjoys Chrysanthemum (I think he just enjoys saying it), this tea usually comes with sugar cubes/rocks.
Service here can be sub-par when you're in a party of two because most of the tables for 2 are hidden in corners or behind other tables so the chance of a cart of yummy foodies coming by is none. Dimsum is most enjoyable in a group, anyway. So why not grab your friends, head down to Ocean Harbor and show off some of the Chinese you just learned? (I promise none of those dishes are wacky.)
WOW, normally, I like but do not LOVE dim sum. But I loved the dim sum here. Everything was delicious. The seafood was really fresh, you could tell when you bit into it, and all the dishes were nice and hot. The dumpling skins even tasted good. And everything that was fried was nice and crispy (not soggy) on the outside.
I went on a Saturday and arrived at noon. Had to wait about 15 minutes, but that was nothing because at about 12:30 the wait was over 30 minutes! Oh well, whaddyagonnado?
I would totally come here again because the dim sum was pretty great.
Meh. Service was average. Food was ok, typical dim sum, definitely had better. Despite the wait, I was a bit disappointed.
This is THE place for dim sum in Philly! I've tried all the dim sum places and there is NOTHING that can compare.
When I lived here and parents visited me, I made them go here. Nevermind the fact that we had to wait 30-40 min for a table...it's THAT good and even THEY admitted that it was THAT good.
Keep in mind that this isn't the best place for ppl in wheelchairs b/c one must go up the stairs to be seated.
Congee is sooooo good. What really rocks is the stir-fried noodles. Delicious and oily egg noodles with that slightly wok-burnt taste...YUM! What's awesome is that they are pretty friendly...meaning um...well...Chinese waitstaff isn't usually friendly....I say they are b/c even though it's a madhouse, they get to ya..about 10 min later.
Go between 11 and 1! Once it hits 1 pm, it's not as fresh!!!!
Dim sum was delicious overall.
Loved their Century Egg Porridge.
Good Chicken feet (red sauce).
Get there early or you will be waiting on the stairway.
They open at 10AM. Their website said 11:30AM.
So we had to wait for about 30 minutes.
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For Rookies only! Also mentioned in other reviews here.
Make sure when you get there to find the person with the clipboard and get a ticket with a number on it. Don't just wait in line thinking you will get a seat without seeing this person and getting a ticket first.
Dim sum isn't dim sum without noisiness, crowds, and chaos. All three of these essential social elements are met at Ocean Harbor.
The food here is good too. Ocean Harbor has a wide variety of plates that circulate pretty frequently. If you missed the chinese broccoli or the shu mai the first time it came around, don't worry, it'll be back. They also have some dishes that I've not seen at other dim sum restaurants in Chinatown like deep fried eggplant, warm egg tarts, deep fried tofu, and some sort of tripe stew (for the more adventurous).
I'd recommend coming here only when you're with a group of people. The last time my boyfriend and I came for dim sum, we were seated with another couple at a six-top. It made for an awkward meal.
Based on the good reviews on Yelp, we went to Ocean Harbor for dinner. Since dim sum is recommended, we had some "made to order" dishes. They were disappointing, looking and tasting like re-steamed left overs from the dim sum hour.
What rescued the meal was the Stir-fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd (腐乳空心菜). It was the best stir fried water spinach I've had. Although I've ordered the dish many times before in Cantonese/Hong Kong restaurants, no chef has prepared it with finely julienned ginger as Ocean Harbor did it. It was heavenly. Give the dish a try next time if you are willing to experience the acquired taste of fermented bean curd.
for philly standards i give it 4 stars but overall i still give it 3 stars compared to other places i have had dim sum in houston and ny... its always crowded cuz its the only one where things come out fresh i guess? but its nothing unconventional. come here early cuz by 1pm there is at least a 30 minute wait... make sure u pay attention to ur number being called or else you WILL get skipped... hence why its so friggin crowded in the lobby waiting area... no one dares leaves!
ok so once seated, the same carts start to come around but no worries it gets replenished quickly.
ordered the following:
- cha siu bao : nice balance of fat and meat and sweetness and not too doughy tasting
- xiao mai : again meaty and plump!
- ha cao : also pretty firm, skin doesn't fall apart on u
- ham sui gao : super crispy, good amount of beef, not so oily this time
- fried taro puff: a lil on the drier side but still good balance of taro and meat
- chicken feet: piping hot, tender, sweet but not too sweet!
- rou bo gao: ask for hoisin sauce... not too grainy like other places!
- didn't get to eat ha chun this time boo =(
my go to spot for dim sum in philly! we got there at 1:30pm... dim sum ends at 2pm... were sat… Read more »
If you want the best dim sum in Chinatown, go here! No exceptions! If you get there before 12 on the weekends, you may be seated relatively quickly. Otherwise, expect up to a 30 minute wait if you come later.
Of course, get the classic dim sum stuff, i.e. shrimp dumplings, pork chops, curry squid, sticky rice, chicken feet (yum!). Yes, I said chicken feet! Definitely try it out. It's really good. Just make sure you don't chew the bones too, hehe :).
This place goes in the dim-sum hall of fame. Is there any better way to bring in a frigid Saturday morning in Philadelphia then walking up these steps and eating all the goodies for about ten dollars a person.
I kind of dig the fact that the big round tables and '60s lighting make you feel like your trapped in a '60s supper-club, but I don't think your grandfather Gerald would eat whats being carted around. I find this to be one of the best places to stop on Chinatown, anytime... however, before 1PM, Dim Sum is Ocean Harbor at its best.
Good traditional cart dim sum place with rapid turnover. Weekends are pretty busy so the carts are constantly being replenished. Lots of different types of dumplings, good proportion of deep fried to steamed items, I especially like the rice rolls wrapped around the fried dough sticks.
Wait, they also do regular dinner as well- this is also quite reasonable, but try to go in a group of at least 4 as all dishes are served family style and you'll want to get more than 2 mains.
Noisy, high ceilinged and busy. Great for families and groups (lazy susans!), and the adventurous. Probably not good if you're on a diet or if you are vegetarian or vegan or picky. Set of stairs inside the entrance, not wheelchair accessible.
I ate dimsum here... honestly, it's quite delicious! I was quite impressed by what Philly has to offer in Ocean Harbor. I should note I'm from Los Angeles, and definitely had my fair share of dim sum back there too.
Things to order... the bamboo wrapped sticky rice, red pork buns, shu-mai, he pun (the long white noodles with shrimp in it) and the white radish cake. Yum, I'm getting hungry just typing all of this.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Society Hill
Category: Chinese
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