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China Pearl Restaurant

3.2 (640 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

China Pearl Restaurant Photos

Business Info

CHINA PEARL RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - China Pearl Restaurant

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New entrance to China Pearl.
Jeff C.

Very nice Ambiance, food was delicious, plentiful, excellent service. Not cheap for Chinatown, it's worth it for delicious food, ambiance and fast service. A venerable institution in Chinatown's culinary scene, this restaurant was one of the longtime anchor Resturant, and main resturant for hosting Chinese wedding banquet and long lines for dim sum on weekends, since I grew up in Boston, times and changes in Chinatown took a toll in its outdated style to adapt with current times. Now the reopened after an extensive renovation following a prolonged closure. It's back!!!! We sampled their dim sum a few months prior and revisited for our inaugural dinner meal since its relaunch. The experience was exceptionally good!!! Delicious!

Jimmy N.

I really wanted to like China Pearl when I heard they had an amazing renovation. From the pictures and videos on social media, indeed it looked really nice. Very intimate and elegant. The decor of the dining area and bar was very pretty. That being said, the food was still bad... That has not changed at all. Steamed rice noodles were soggy and breaks apart when you pick up, chicken feet tasted old and so bland, the meatballs were also bland although they pour sauce on top, still bland, the shu Mai tasted old. It just had this old taste to it. Like it's been in the freezer for too long. The only thing that was decent were the spare ribs. Overall, I'll say, you come try it for yourself. Everyone's taste buds is different. Come and enjoy the beautiful decor and atmosphere.

Cheung fun and Cha siu baos
Abby H.

I've been coming here since I was a child. It's your classic dim sum parlor with the ladies pushing the carts. For a few years they had to renovate the interior, and they finally opened, and it looks beautiful inside. Come here for the classic dim sum experience. My go tos are usually the rice noodles (cheung fun) and the bbq pork baos.

Jasmine Tea
Ethan R.

Boston Chinatown is home to countless restaurants, bakeries and shops. Throw a rock in any direction and you'll hit a Chinese eatery or a bakery. Over the years, my experience at the restaurants in Chinatown has been good. Never disappointed and never really wowed. My biggest pet peeve with most Chinatown restaurants is that I don't believe anything is made or cooked to order. Regardless, we had a nice & cozy experience at China Pearl. The ambience is very charming, full of authenticity & Chinese character. Service was good while trying to overcome the severe language barrier. Evidently we didn't try hard enough given that our entree arrived before our appetizer, and we got Orange Beef when we had ordered Sesame Beef. Shu Mai This appetizer item was in fact tasty. However I couldn't tell if they were made fresh. Beef Fried Rice Extremely generous portion. Same pet peeve where I believe a huge batch is made ahead of time and portioned per order. It was good Orange Beef Not the biggest fan when beef is covered in cornstarch. But this would be considered a guilty pleasure. And it was a generous portion of orange marinated beef served with steamed broccoli. Paired well with our fried rice All in all, I've yet to be wowed at an eatery in the wonderful Boston Chinatown neighborhood.

Thanh L.

First time coming here after the remodel -- the new interior looks great, way more modern but still keeps that Chinatown charm. We ordered a bunch of dishes and everything was delicious! Highlights were the black pepper beef tenderloin, garlic shrimp, and seafood soup. The mango pomelo sago at the end was the perfect finish -- light and refreshing. Feels like a little taste of Hong Kong right in Boston. Definitely coming back!

Lizzie Y.

Man, I can't remember the last time I last went to China Pearl... must've been at least a decade ago? They had just finished remodeling not too long ago and reopened with this beautiful, modern interior! We came here as guests for a dinner with ~10 tables and were served the same 8ish dishes as the other tables. Food honestly hasn't changed much... not the best. But I guess China Pearl hasn't ever been known to be booked for the food, more so for the venue + how they have the space to cater for large parties of people for events etc. The chicken was a little on the rare side, very bloody lol. The crab meat & fish maw soup tasted peculiar. I usually enjoy this soup w/ reg vinegar and white pepper, but something was off about it & I still can't put my finger on it. Only took a few sips before putting it off to the side. The fish, although looked pretty appetizing, was kind of a flop too. It had this weird aftertaste and not much flavor behind it. Pretty much, in conclusion the food wasn't great. I will say though that the mango pomelo sago dessert soup at the end was probably one of the best dessert soups that I've had in the Boston area! Much better than the typical red bean/green bean/taro sago soups served at other Chinese restaurants. We were all agreeing at the table that this was like the quality we'd expect from establishments that mainly sell dessert soups and we'd definitely buy & order this again. Other than the soup, meh. Likely won't be back unless for an event.

Decor
David C.

They open during Christmas so we went to check it out since I haven't been there since I was a kid (before all the fancy renovations). Inside was about 75% full of people at around 1230pm. They still use the traditional cart method which in my opinion is outdated, inefficient, and poor use of staff. The other restaurants have switched over to check list menus with pictures, which not only does it lay out all the options for you but you also order everything in one go instead of having the cart aunties continuously circle around trying to sell their dishes. From a food perspective, this is not the best dim sum I've had but from a boston perspective, the bar was never that high for dim sum or even food in general. All the items were pretty typical. The soy sauce chow mein was lacking the crunch and looked dull. The egg tart was tiny bite sized. The typical siu mai and dumplings was nothing special from what you can get elsewhere. The rice rolls were also typical. The stand out item was the baked char siu bun, which we ordered multiple of. The tofu pudding was lacking the typical syrup flavor. Overall, they can renovate the place all they want but the dim sum does not hit, it becomes a front to attract a different audience. If I find myself in Boston chinatown again, I will try other dim sum spots. This wouldn't be my first option. As a kid, Windsor and great taste were the spots but as I remembered, they are small restaurants and crowd quickly.

Nick S.

China Pearl is that longstanding, well-known dim sum place right in the heart of Boston's Chinatown. It closed down for renovations a few years back but just reopened this year, so it was good to see it busy again. The service is pretty much the classic, traditional dim sum experience. They use the carts that servers push around the dining room, which is always fun. It definitely helps if you know a little Cantonese to flag things down, but they also have paper menus you can point to if you want to order something specific or just identify what's on the carts. The dishes themselves are the standard, classic types of dim sum you'd expect. We saw and tried things like chicken feet, sesame balls, bo luo bao (pineapple buns), and all the usual dumplings and steamed items. Each dish was around eight dollars, which is pretty much the going rate at other dim sum spots in Boston now. As for the taste, it was fulfilling and hit the spot, but we found it to be pretty standard as well, with it being solidly made and authentic, but nothing that particularly reinvented the wheel or stood out dramatically from other good restaurants in the neighborhood. It's a reliable spot for that traditional cart experience. If you're looking for a consistent, classic dim sum meal in a historic setting, it definitely delivers.

Pork belly
Tiffany L.

Came here for a graduation dinner on a Saturday evening and had a delicious meal! The renovations look great. It's incredibly spacious and the bathroom is nice (especially the mirrors). That being said, because it is so spacious, there's a lot of noise. Also, I really hope they are able to add in lazy susans to the larger tables, since it was quite tough to reach over the table to get to dishes and the serving dishes were heavy so it wasn't ideal passing them around the table. The service was very accommodating, and we appreciated their flexibility in rescheduling our reservation. Unfortunately, they didn't have any crab or lobster available (they ran out). They did seem a bit short staffed; it could have been because it was getting late on a Saturday. The food was delicious! We enjoyed so many dishes, including the pork belly (shaped like a pyramid) as well as the fried rice, the beef chow fun, the beef and egg soup, the walnut shrimp, the clams, and the candied pecans (a nice alternative to roasted peanuts that are typical at Chinese restaurants).

Jeff Y.

Randomly stopped by China Pearl for dim sum during a Chinatown festival. The restaurant has got to be one of the cleanest dim sum spots I've ever been in! Servers are pretty attentive and speak both Canto and English. Food was pretty good overall and have some decent size portions. They also have an expanded menu for more family style dishes but we didn't order. Great spot if you're craving dim sum!

Sarah & Michael
Sarah P.

My husband and I are so excited China Pearl has reopened after 5 years of being closed (2-the pandemic & then 3-renovation). They did an incredible job. I love the giant windows!!! Never had them before. Well they did but they were covered by drywall. And what's even more wonderful-the food is still amazing and the service always good but now - outstanding! I like how they serve cold water in tall glasses instead of small plastic cups like they used to. The host Patty gave us a welcome back hug. We always took the kids here at least once a month for Dim Sum. We will be back!

Dim Sum
Denisse M.

We originally went to China Pearl on a food tour and tried a few pieces of their Dim Sum and loved it. So on our last night of our trip in Boston we decided to go back for dinner, and if we were impressed before, well... We are in love now. We ordered a lot!!! In addition to more Dim Sum, we ordered, vegetable pan fried noodles, original chef's chicken, pork belly bao buns, Fried rice and Jazmine tea. Their serving portions are huge, family style. Every dish was so fresh, so delicious and warm. We loved everything. I highly recommend this place.

Steamed beef rice rolls
Uyen N.

Overall, good dimsum. My favorite is the shumai. It's big and packed with flavor. The steamed rice rolls with meat are good and surprisingly have a lot of filling. Xiao long bao doesn't have too much broth inside. Hargow skin is a little too thick, but there are pieces of chopped shrimp inside. I don't really like the filling of the second to last picture. Tofu with sweet ginger soup is good! The restaurant is very spacious and is nicely decorated.

fresh from the oven char siu bao

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1 year ago

The renovated restaurant is beautiful. Staff were friendly and attentive. The dim sum was very fresh, available by cart and menu

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10 months ago

Food was spectacular! Highly recommend. The chicken fried rice was a favorite, along with the sesame beef and lo mein.

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China Pearl just reopened and it's beautiful! They have the usual dim sum favorites in such a nice environment.

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1 year ago

Nor that great. the meat wasn't fresh and not many choices for dim sum. I don't think i will go back there.

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China Pearl Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - China Pearl Restaurant

Do they serve dim sum with carts all day and during weekdays?

They do, but the choices are more limited. I don't blame them as they don't want food sitting around if there aren't the crowds like on weekends.

Are they wheel chair accessible?

Not really. I just spoke with them and their dim sum is served on the second floor, no elevator. Plus, judging by the photos here, there are two small steps leading to the front door.

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Empire Garden Restaurant

Empire Garden Restaurant

3.1
(568 reviews)
0.1 mi
$

Held on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Boston's Historic Chinatown District at EMPIRE GARDEN in…read morePartnership with THE CHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION (CPA), with a Banquet of over 500 attendees along with several luminaries as RUTHZEE LOUIJEVNE, Boston City Councilor-At-Large, JULIA M. MEJIA, Boston City Councilor-At-Large, MINIARD CULPEPPER, Boston City Councilor - District 7, SHARON DURKAN, Boston City Councilor - District 8, EDWARD M. FLYNN, Boston City Councilor - District 2 and LIZ BREADON, Boston City Council President and Boston City Councilor - District 9. The Honorable Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, not only addressed the attendees and Presented Certificates but took the time to talk and do photo-ops and was extremely gracious and extremely supportive and friendly to us all! A bit of history of the location of this Mega Banquet located on Washington Street built in 1903, as a Theater which eventually became, The Pagoda Cinema, becoming a Chinese Speaking Cinema till its closure in 1995. Purchased by David Wong which he then transformed this massive building into what it is today, EMPIRE GARDEN which can accommodate for 400-600 guests. This Glitzy and Festive attire Event was full of colorful pageantry and choreographed dance including The Lion Dance, performed by Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy Dancers. The songs sung during the evening were performed by the CPA Members. Between all the entertainment and multitude of speakers, all 53 tables were continuously presented with Platters of amazing delights such as Lobster with Ginger & Scallions, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Fried Whole Sole, Crispy Whole Chicken to name a few. The food was endless! The Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) is an organization totally dedicated in providing support, equality and empowerment to the Chinese Residents in Boston and surrounding communities in which City of Quincy is part of. QUINCY VOTES!, established in 2022 and becoming 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization in 2023 has changed the Voting Landscape to a higher level. Giving City Voters a multitude of Resources to all to make every Vote, "MATTERS". Their dedication and hard work along with pounding the pavement door to door proved fruitful that in 2025 15,852 voters gave their vote! Its impact with education and resources made history in Quincy! First Time Candidate TOM LEUNG, running for Quincy School Committee, made a huge turnout Win with 8,086 Votes, an impressive performance win! TOM LEUNG, was invited to address the attendees at this event by, "Wishing all a Happy New Year of the Fire Horse 2026", and Thanked, "CPA, I love the work that they do and CPA, an organization that's special to me!", Tom Leung. (CPA) President Emeritus - Suzanne Lee spoke eloquently addressing the whole room then mentioned "Next Year is expected to be a bigger Event"! In closing - the success of the evening brought everyone together in harmony and sharing ideas along with photos taken to remember of a night to celebration and focusing toward a positive future.

It's in a gorgeous old theater on the second floor. Yes, the carpet could probably be replaced, but…read morefocus on the old theater, which is beautiful. The dim sum was amazing. I had all the shrimp things, my dad had all the meat things, and we even got greens for vegetables. Everyone is nice and friendly. This place is a gem.

Photos
There are a few different dinning areas, but the famously large one was being used for an event
There are a few different dinning areas, but the famously large one was being used for an event
Empire Garden Restaurant
Empire Garden Restaurant

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Rubato

Rubato

4.4
(214 reviews)
5.7 mi
$$

My husband and I stayed in Quincy for a wedding a couple of weeks ago. We had a couple of free…read morehours during the day so we decided to check out the area nearby our hotel. After doing a quick TikTok search, I was prompted to try out this chicken sandwich from Rubato. We walked over and actually missed it on the street because it's so tiny. After realizing it, we turned around and to our surprise, there were several people inside eating and others waiting. This must be a good sign. We walked in and it was the most casual, laid-back establishment. The green color scheme and plants gave it a more earthy vibe, which I absolutely loved. Since we didn't necessarily know what to order we decided to split the fried chicken bolo. When I tell you, I have not stopped thinking about that sandwich since I ate it, I'm not kidding. It was absolutely delicious. My husband, who was resistant to even going in the first place, kept telling everyone around town about it. We will not skip a beat when in Quincy next to visit this establishment. Thanks for an awesome experience.

First, a caveat: I didn't grow up with Hong Kong cafe (茶餐廳, cha chaan teng) nostalgia, and I'm also…read morebiased. Ever since Double Chin Restaurant in Chinatown closed (may she rise again), I've been on a mission to find a worthy fried chicken bolo bao. My friend and I trudged into Rubato on a cold, rainy day, hoping for a replacement. Spoiler alert: we did not find one. We ordered four items: rice rolls with curry fish balls, an egg custard lava bun, Ovaltine French toast, and the fried chicken bolo bao. The rice rolls were mild but fine, topped with enough cilantro and scallion to keep it interesting. The lava bun was hot, gooey, and did its job. (GOOD JOB, LAVA BUN!) The Ovaltine French toast? Eh, it aite. But here's the heartbreak: the chicken bolo bao. The chicken wasn't hot; it had that "sat around" feeling. And the bun? Just a dressed-up brioche, missing that true bo lo bao magic. A brioche bun with a crackly top is not a bo lo bao, my dudes. In short, everything was edible, but nothing made me want to come back. (It's not like watching like a hawk for an empty seat and swooping in the moment one opens up is any fun.) The chicken deserved better.

Photos
Dining area
Dining area
Bubble tea special (7/12-7/13/25; $9): loving the summer specials!
Bubble tea special (7/12-7/13/25; $9): loving the summer specials!
Chili Chicken Bolo ($15) - mod spicy crispy (lao gan ma spiced), sour cream/chive dressed - fusion at its finest

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Chili Chicken Bolo ($15) - mod spicy crispy (lao gan ma spiced), sour cream/chive dressed - fusion at its finest
Ming's Seafood Restaurant

Ming's Seafood Restaurant

3.5
(349 reviews)
5.2 mi
$$

Yummy dim sum. No cart service here. You get a picture menu and you write down your order on a…read morepaper and give it to them. They bring out the food as it's ready. The space is decently sized but not huge so expect a wait on the weekend. On a Saturday at 11 we were quoted a 30 minute wait for 7 people but only ended up waiting maybe 15 or so. Highlights: - beef chow fun (dry) - great wok hei flavor and they didn't skimp on meat. - pan fried turnip cake - crispy on all sides vs. just top and bottom that you usually see. Cut thicker too so you get more of the soft inside. - beancurd sheet roll with pork and shrimp - tender and flavorful. The sauce they have on the outside is delish and the beancurd texture was nice. - taro puff with pork - light and crispy on the outside. The taro itself was soft and custardy. It didn't eat heavy even though it's deep fried. Just ok: - steamed rice roll with shrimp - sauce was just ok and the rice roll was a little thick. - Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce - the sauce was very thin. I'm used to a thicker more flavorful sauce that holds to the broccoli better. But the broccoli was cooked well. Service really left a lot to be desired. We constantly had to flag people down and they really made it feel like we were bothering them. They missed an item on our order and it took a while for them to correct it. Only street parking but it's not hard to find a spot and it's only $1 an hr.

Good: - fries taro with pork dumplings $6.50…read more- beef chow fun with gravy $17.95 Ok: - pork and shrimp shumai is large but lack taste and looks $6.75 - crispy shrimp roll with celery is not hot, $6.75 for 3 small pieces - crispy shrimp rolls with celery is not tasty $6.75 - sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf $6.75

Photos
Chicken Fingers K, Pork & Shrimp Dumplings J, Shrimp & Chives Dumplings J, pork shu mai, *Bake Egg Tarts W
Chicken Fingers K, Pork & Shrimp Dumplings J, Shrimp & Chives Dumplings J, pork shu mai, *Bake Egg Tarts W
Fried taro ball with pork
Fried taro ball with pork
Shrimp Rice Rolls

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Shrimp Rice Rolls

China Pearl Restaurant - dimsum - Updated July 2026

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