Went here for dim sum on a Monday...Gross!!! I usually go to dim sum in the Boston area and will definitely keep it that way! The food was dry and chewy didn't feel like it was steamed or fresh at all. I'm pretty sure they are using whatever left overs they had from Saturday & Sunday on Mondays dim sum. They also weren't that busy but rushed us with the bill and asked if we were paying cash or card a whole bunch of times. A complete eye roll experience & don't recommend at all. read more

This place is DEFINITELY better than 3&1/2 stars, guys. First, I'm NOT a 'regular', but I used to live near the Broadway location and now I live near the Middlesex location. We're there... once every 6 weeks or so. Not once a month, but probably more often than 6 times a year. Occasionally we eat in; mostly, we take out. We enjoy our meals every time. Second, service is always on point-- from the cashier/ front counter to the bar, to the wait staff. Friendly, inviting, and they answer my dumb questions warmly. Occasionally there's a slight language barrier, but that's to be expected and frankly it's appropriate. I live in Lowell because, among other reasons, I appreciate diversity. Third, I have a pretty significant MSG sensitivity, and I have NEVER had a problem from EITHER location. Just a personal barometer: you can tell the quality of a Chinese restaurant by whether or not they feel the need to load their food with MSG: if so, they aren't very big on quality; if NOT, then you taste the freshness of the ingredients. That's a quality establishment. (This is true for other Asian cuisine too, unfortunately.) Finally-- are you kidding me?? Everything from fried rice to frog legs are on this menu, and I have tried many things (and compelled my kids to try them too) that I can't find anywhere else in the city. I understand that "jellyfish and duck feet salad" might not be your cup of tea, but when my kids say, "Dad, the jellyfish is pretty good, but I'm not in love with the duck feet," I know that dinner has been not just dinner, but an actual experience. Isn't that worth better than 3&1/2 stars right there?? It certainly is to me and my family. Ya can't just order "L 19" or whatever all the time, guys. Branch out and partake in the variety at this joint. 4&1/2 stars for food, flavor, service, authenticity, and a huge variety of available offerings here. I'm rounding up. Not perfect maybe, but I can't recall a bad meal, either. Enthusiastically recommended. read more

Excellent quality Chinese/ Cantonese food. Dimsum is excellent with extensive selection. I had the double lobster stir fried with ginger scallion for $44, what a deal!!!! read more

Food is good just too bad they don't update prices on website menu. Not that it's the end of the world. Also would be nice if they offered more combo plates. Now that the prices have gone up about 5 bucks post covid the buck substitution sucks. read more

The food Is great. We like to come here every time we want dim sum. But there is one thing, a lot of the foods are fried and greasy (at least for the dim sum). You can easily get everything you want in under 15 minutes. And at least from a white guy who has never been to east Asia, it feels like you are walking into China. It really gives an East Asian vibe. read more

Not the first time I've been here. My first time visiting was when they first opened and I thought the dim sum was very oily. Dim sum here is a bit below average in my opinion. I decided to give it another try the other day and The food is still very oily for dim sum. Shu mai we got was undercooked and soggy. Glad I didn't get sick off of it. The staff replaced it right away after I shared it with them. Thumbs up to the staff here though. They were very attentive to their customers compared to other dim sum locations. Cheers read more

China Star was suggested by a neighbor who used to live in the area. Coming from greater Boston I was super excited to find a restaurant that had my favorite fried rice (dried scallop fried rice) AND dim sum all under one roof. It's everything you want in a Chinese restaurant for either in-dining or take out. I've called to order I've ordered there and I've sat down and the food is good every time. Also, friendly front staff! read more

I went in there not knowing AC was broken. I realized after sitting there for 5 minutes. They should notify customers or put up a sign that AC was broken (while outside temperature was over 90 degrees). I asked servers few times if AC was broken, but they pretend they don't understand English. Bad service overall. read more

Outstanding restaurant Food is not and fresh and most of all deliciouds Service is fabulous.. Wonderful dim sum experience Got lobster ginger and scallion ..do reasonable and big portion Looking forward to going back soon read more

C-16 with pork Lo mein absolutely delicious I have been very satisfied lately ordering from here best in Lowell at the moment read more

China Star - C 16 with pork Lo mein - Dim Sum Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Definitely a go to place for dim sum! The service is quick and a la carte style just like any other dim sum place but unfortunately the quality of food isn't consistent compared to other dim sum places I've been to in the past especially in Chinatown. Weekends the dim sum seems more fresh compared to weekdays, assuming because weekdays are slower so food sits in the carts for a while, while weekends they can't cook it fast enough! They do have a large variety of foods to choose from, also super helpful is that the servers speak both English and Chinese. Be careful as they will try to hustle you into purchasing more plates then you'll actually want! read more

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Have not been disappointed. Nice place to hang out and eat. Nice place to order take out from.

Relax folks, step away from the haters that are clearly bias and basically advertising for another restaurant *cough cough* and try this place for yourselves. Anyone familiar with Lowell knows that China Star is the most dominant name in Chinese food in the area but it's a little different than your run of the mill establishments so its not for everyone. This new restaurant is very similar to the original except with extra perks such as dim sum, alcohol and waiter service. As far as decor goes its not my taste, not modern enough but everything was renovated brand new so kudos to them for that. Ambiance is typical, loud when its full and reminiscent of Chinatown. So lets break it down real simple, Pros - The only legitimate Cantonese dimsum around Lowell - Food is made fresh (which can be a double edged sword)** - Not too heavy or filled with MSG - Authentic - Great Parking space - Saves a trip to Chinatown Cons - Very busy because its opening week - Long wait if you just want fast food because of the fresh food so kitchen can get backed up sometimes - A little tight and noisy if its a full house - Language barriers with some of the staff since they're predominantly chinese So like with all businesses you be the judge, China star is in no way shape or form perfect but they sure are good especially for the area. My tip is to wait a week if you can't stand the wait at peak hours and try the lobsters they have. Going here and ordering American Chinese Food is very counter intuitive. read more

China Star - Stuffed crab claw - Dim Sum Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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I've been waiting for this place to open when I saw the sign up a few month ago, it's sure worth the wait. As you can see the mixed reviews by others, I think you'll have to understand how Dim Sum restaurant works in order to understand it may not be your regular American Chinese restaurant where you go for PuPu. Let me break the review down into a few things so it's easier to understand. This review is based on weekend Dim Sum lunch, we'll try their dinner which you order from the menu next time. My parents, wife and I initially went there on Sat. around 12:30 and it's packed, can't even find a parking spot (although there are about 40 or so space, but not enough, you can't park in Walgreen's lot, but you may try the soccer field parking.) So we left and went again on Sunday at 1pm. Food: I'll give the food 4/5, it taste the same as you can get in Chinatown. Some of the dishes may need bit more time, such as the steamed short-ribs, which is little hard to chew, need another 15 min in the steamer. Service: 3/5. It's more like Chinatown service than suburb restaurant service, translation, not what you normally get where the waiters all speaks decent English. The older laddies pushing the dim sum cart around speaks minimum English and some of the dishes are really hard to explain. Even for a foodie like me, may need a few minutes to explain one thing in detail, which they cannot do. And the waiters are busy running around so they won't be able to help you explain everything as well. So if you have never tried dim sum before, read the large print out of all the dishes on the window in front of the restaurant before you go in, or grab a Chinese friend to go with you. It's tough to see some people who just sat there wondering or waiting for waiters to take their order for Lo Mein. Decor: you feel like you are in a large Chinatown restaurant, with tanks of fresh fish to order. Price: 4/5, good price and you don't have to drive to Boston and spend a lot on parking. I think medium dim sum dish is $3.45, and large ones are $3.99. We orders 9 medium, 3 large, 1 top (special dish), 1 soda, and it's around $57. It sure beats drive to Boston. read more

China Star - Its good to find Hong Kong style dim sum far outside the city - Dim Sum Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Came here with my parents on a Friday morning for some dim sum. I noticed the huge parking lot and the restaurant itself is pretty big and very clean! We were the only customers but I think it was because of what time we came. The ladies came around with their carts and we chose a few items, mostly shrimp and pork. Everything was good, tasty, and hot! I did notice more people coming in right when we were leaving. Everybody including the host were very nice, but I did have a hard time understanding one of the ladies. The women's bathroom was clean but there were no toilet seat covers which sucks because I had to make my my own seat cover with toilet paper and that is such a waste. There was no way I was gonna put my bare bottom on the toilet seat. Will most likely return with my family the next time I'm in town! read more

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Good, but not quite good enough. Inside the restaurant it's beautiful, but the outside is filthy. Food was 'ok', reasonably priced.... but, I found a piece of plastic in my food.... Yuk. And against my better judgement, I tried one of the chicken wings, and it was suspiciously pink-ish... YUK! Spicy duck feet salad was really amazing. Everything else, 'Meh'... Surprisingly, I might go back to try their Dim Sum (9am to 3pm).... But not for regular dinner. read more

After 6 months of much anticipation, I was thrilled to see my fellow Facebook friends hype up the grand opening of the new China Star Restaurant on Middlesex Street. The Mo and I love the Asian "brunch on wheels" but sometimes its a hike to go all the way to Chinatown in Boston with the parking and waiting issues. Occasionally, China Pearl in Woburn does the trick when we don't want to make the pilgrimage all the way into the city. We made plans to take out "Little Neak" (the Mo's brother) for brunch to celebrate his dirty 30 birthday. Since this would be the first opening weekend, I imagined the place would be mobbed and packed. I came up with this "brilliant" idea to meet at the restaurant 15 minutes before it opened at 9:00AM. I was a bit apprehensive because there were many mixed reviews on Facebook. Some people loved it and many thought the new restaurant was overpriced with poor quality food. Many agreed that the service was poor. We got there a couple of minutes before 9:00AM and the parking lot was empty. The joke was on me. We walked by a poster displaying their Dim Sum offerings that made my mouth salivate. We were the first patrons in the restaurant that morning and the crew was hustling and busting to get the tables set up with tablecloths, hot sauce, soy sauce, etc. The decor of the restaurant is in line with the other Chinatown eateries. There is a raised "stage" area with dragons and Chinese letters on the red wall and different Asian inspired artworks and murals around the restaurant. There was a nice bar/lounge area displaying liquor so one can assume they have their liquor license. My assumption is that they are bringing Chinatown to Lowell by offering authentic "Chinatown- like" Chinese cuisine including dim sum brunch, a lounge and an extensive late night menu great for after a night at the Lowell bars. After sitting and catching up with one another for about 15 minutes, the anticipation was over and the carts were unveiled. We recognized many of the ladies pushing the carts from Chau Chow in Boston. Since it was still early in the morning, the selections were very limited. We were only able to get a fraction of our usual dim sum staples. Although the carts did come around quick and frequently, the offerings were same. Here's a quick run through of what we ordered: (Please excuse the spelling) Har Gow: (Shrimp Dumpling) Hot and Fresh and tasty, how can you really mess that up? Shrimp Cheung Fun: (Rice noodle wrapped shrimp) Cold, was just ok Hor Yip Faan: (Sticky rice in lotus leaves) tasted bland and it had peanuts? I've never had it with peanuts before Bau: (Steamed BBQ pork buns) As my future sister in law's bf called it, "Cloud Bread", it was soft, sweet and FRESH! Tasted great! Baked BBQ pork bun: Sweet and savory, will order again! Fried Shrimp and Pork Dumpling: Tasty and hot! Will get again! Pork Spareribs: Not this one is tough... I'm not sure if we ordered the wrong one but I didn't see the usual pork spareribs with black beans and black peppers. This dish was bland and served on chow foon noodles. Lobster Dumpling: This was delicious, we had 2 orders and they were both devoured. One of the guys said it was the best thing at the table. Fried Shrimp Tofu Rolls: Room temperature, a bit chewy, was just OK The table ordered chicken feet but I didn't have any so I can't review it. It was served on a bed of white rice so I thought that was kind of cool. Throughout the meal, no one came by to check up on us. We had to constantly ask for water, then ask for it to be refilled a couple of times. I was disappointed fried crab claw balls, baby clams in black bean sauce, Chinese broccoli, calamari was not available yet. We didn't have any sweets so I can't comment on that. I did see a fried durian roll on the menu that looked intriguing. Another let down was their chili sauce. I'm used to hot chili oil in Boston or Woburn but the chili sauce they offered on the table resembled the garlic chili sauce with the green lid. For a "Grand Opening Weekend" you would have thought they would pull out all the stops and make sure everything was up and running efficiently. They did not have their stuff together and it definitely appeared that they had a lot of details to iron out. I even had to walk up to the desk for them to add up our check since we couldn't flag them down. For a detailed review and dim sum photos of the restaurant, http://www.mami-eggroll.com/2013/04/finally-dim-sum-joint-in-lowell.html read more

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We haven't been since the last time I reviewed this place 7 years ago. I was looking forward to going since it was great last time. We had dim sum. It was obviously reheated and refried. The baked items were stale. The place was dirty. A guy was walking around maskless that looked like he was the owner or the manager. They had just opened for the day but the barrels were overflowing with trash in the bathrooms. The dishes were dirty. The servers were so polite so they deserve a star for that. We were shocked that as we were leaving many people were coming in. I get it, it is far from Boston, but there are so many great Asian restaurants in the Lowell area. I'd get if it was 1 or 2 dishes weren't that great but every single dish was so bad and the place was so dirty. Plus, every single dish was cold. read more

Service 5 stars Flavor 4 stars Serving size to price ratio 4 stars Good Dim sum on the weekends! Clean, large space with traditional push carts full of delicious food to choose from. Excellent chicken feet (require a little work to separate skin from bones) and pork ribs. BBQ pork bun is a little disappointing, it didn't have much flavor and was too sweet. Contrary to other reviews, service staff were very friendly and were not hawking over me and/or asking for more tips. Staff were knowledgeable about ingredients, was great at helping us navigate the menu to avoid food containing allergen. read more

Exceptional service, good food. The dim sum dishes were pretty good, though not as tasty as the ones I've had in Boston. We ordered the following dishes: ginger onion beef tripe, shrimp har gao, leek and shrimp dumplings, Chinese broccoli , shanghai steamed dumpling, steamed pork ribs, tofu skin roll, steamed beef ball, shrimp rice noodle roll, and clams with black bean sauce. The bad: shrimp har gao was smaller than ones I've had at other dim sum places, shanhair steam dumplings (xiao long bao) was dry and did not have soup inside like most xlb's. The good: loved the beef balls dish, it came with mushrooms that were very tasty. The filling inside the tofu skin roll was very good. Big portion for the tripe. Service at this place was outstanding though. The servers were very friendly and attentive, which is different than at the big Boston dim sum places. They refilled our tea very quickly when we ran out, cleared our empty dishes without us asking, and was just very nice in general! Would recommend. read more

China Star - Assorted dim sum - Dim Sum Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

Dim sum there is yummy. Lots of choices. I like how when you pack stuff to go, the waiters actually comes and do it for you and bag it up and all. That's great service! read more

China Star - Dim Sum Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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This place is consistently good for dim sum. The chesubao were perfect. The steamed ribs were excellent. The guyloc shrimp were a little dry tasting. The others were only ok. Will definitely go again. read more

Passable Dim Sum. Not a suitable replacement for most of Boston's China Town offerings. Easy, free parking is the one obvious advantage compared to downtown. read more

I ordered take out. Over the phone, I was told 45 min to pick it up. When I got there, the food was not ready. I waited another 15 min and than the cashier told me that my order was getting packed up. Waited another 15 min... still not ready. The restaurant had full of people waiting for their take out and dining people. After 1hr and 20 min since I ordered the take out, I requested the refund. The cashier did not even apologize for anything. One more thing. I could not believe how many people were at the restaurant..... dinning and waiting to pick up their take out. I wanted to take the picture of the restaurant and report to the proper authority. They were not following the CDC guideline. I would be scared to dine in there when full of take out people standing right next to my table. read more

My husband went and got Chinese food from china star everything was good till next day when I ate the chicken wings ended up with a bumpy itch rash all over my body just want to warn everyone don't eat the chicken wings it's so itchy read more

I alway order the same stuff there. Salt & Pepper Dungeness Crab, lobster, shrimp (w/the heads on), soft shell crab, sometimes even having them the "Ginger & Scallion" way. They will pull it right out of their live tanks they have in the restaurant! So U know it's super fresh. I've also been there for their push cart Dim Sum (serve only before 3pm). You WILL find something U love on 1 of those carts! The asian grannies whom are pushing those carts will bombard you as soon as you sit down. So be ready! They got pictures menus if u can't understand what they are saying. An ultimate authentic experience . My eyes are always bigger than my stomach here! Family style eating. Great left overs..if any. +Opens late & during major holidays!! There is a bar as well & drinks are good. read more

China Star - Seafood Galore! - Dim Sum Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

This place is just as good as dim sum you would find in Boston. You can pick your table and is served tea and water right away (very considerate about refilling). They have everything you would want to eat. If you are not familiar with dim sum, they will happily give you a menu with pictures and labels. My favorite items are the shrimp/pork/beef noodle crepes, BBQ pork buns and from the kitchen: pea pod stems and calamari. I really enjoy their food. I am hesitant to give them five stars because they can be very pushy. When placing orders from the kitchen our servers (you get help from all of them) kept on forcing pricy suggestions like the... Clams! Tilapia! Lobster! NAHHH. I know what I want to eat, thanks very much. read more

We always enjoy dining at China star. Service is speedy, and food is so delicious. I love how extensive the menu is. There's a little something for everyone. If your considering eating here. Be sure to do the dim sum. It's iconic. read more

Like everyone else I went Boston for the longest time thinking that was the only high quality dim sum near me. Which was frustrating in Boston because you're paying for public parking & highway tolls which adds up if you love it as much as I do.. Anyway! Found this place and first thing I noticed was plenty of free private parking which was a relief. Second, soon as I came in everyone was all smiles and happy! Very personable and friendly. COMPLETE OPPOSITE of Boston dim sum spots. They don't take an hour to get to your table with the carts, very fast. Food is hot and fresh. Delicious, had all my favorite dishes. 100% my new spot after going to Boston for 8 years !! read more

Came here a few times. Twice with family and once with friends. Their food is delicious and a lot of options to choose from. I did found an egg shell on our order of house special fried rice but it's no biggy. Though my bro was dying for me to post a picture of it on Yelp lol! The menu have pictures so that's pretty convenient. There's also a bar menu for alcohol drinks to order from. What's odd though is that there is no list of non alcoholic beverage listed anywhere on both menus. This made me to believe this restaurant is more catered to adults hanging out with friends kinda crowd. Service is slightly off. The food is slow to come out and they take forever to check up on you if you wanted something. Overall, I would come here again and hopefully try their Dim Sum next time. read more

The place has the best foods cooked by the best Boston Chefs. The staff were very helpful and welcoming especially Mr. Do. The food tasted great and the presentation was beautiful. read more

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BEST DIM SUM EVER! The food selection and quality is much better than Boston. The space is very clean and the bar area is very nice. We stopped going to Boston for dim sum after realizing how much tastier China Star is. Only downfall is the chicken feet, not as tasty as Boston. read more

China Star is one of my go to places when I am on travel to the area! So my usual picks when I come here is the twin lobster in salt and pepper its usually less than $30 for the dish and when I order it... I always get a strange look from folks near me at the bar. lol what ?? cant a guy dining alone enjoy two lobsters on his own without judgement?? lol Anyways its delicious and always make it a point to stop in for some good food. My other dishes that I have had here that are also good is the Spicy Salt and Pepper Pork Chops and also the Salted fish and chicken fried rice Both are so yummmmmsss but beware the Spicy Pork Chops have a lot of heat so make sure you are prepared for the long lasting but good burn lol So I'm from the DC Metro area and always down for dim sum so decided to fly in early and check out their dim sum ..... lets just say I wasnt too impressed with it, maybe because I'm so spoiled by the dim sum in the DC area. some of the dishes that are supposed to be hot were luke warm or cold, some were way to greasy, and some had a weird not so fresh funk to them which sucked.... would I give it another try for dim sum??? maybe Would I go here for my dinners again at the bar by myself?? absolutely its way better than fighting my way to spots in Chinatown in Boston. Also always a plus to see one of the sisters behind the bar that always have a smile and good conversations read more

If you live in the Lowell Mass area no reason to travel any further than the China Star DimSum Restaurant & Lounge on Middlesex St,

This place is dirty. Their staff really fake it until they make it. First they welcome you with a "friendly" smile, but as soon as you are seated, everything seem to turned. I had asked for a folk for my daughter and as soon as they get it, they just threw the folk on the table, almost hitting my daughter. No apologies there what so ever. On top of that, their utensils are dirty. Oh and let's not forget, they had chase us down because they weren't satisfied at the fact that we gave them 15% tip. They literally chase us down and demanded that we give them more than that. First of all, we order 4 dim sum dishes and we helped them clean. We came in the morning, when it was not busy what so ever. There were only the 3 of us plus a family there. I mean, I get it, time is hard and people are struggling but the fact that they approach us and yelled saying, "you NEED to tip us 20%!", that's just very unprofessional. Never again will we come here. read more

Food was decent at best. Clearly they don't take food safety seriously though. I had a piece of steel wool in my chicken fried rice which is considered a physical contaminant for those who don't know too much about food safety. Could have been a lot worse too if I swallowed it. I called the store immediately after and was given a pathetic excuse by the manager that they were too busy and asked to call later. I said that's unacceptable and demanded some sort of compensation. He said to come in for a credit off the food. Definitely not going back to this location and will not recommend anybody spend their money here. Even food safety managers are incompetent at their job when it comes to food safety and basic customer service. read more

China Star - Dim Sum Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

I'm telling everyone on here do not order anything from here they will give you food poisoning and then when you go to get your money back they say oh your fine and dont give you your money back I got massive food poisoning from here spent $125.25 for new year's Eve back in 2017 and they refused to give me my money back after I bought all my hospital records to prove that I got food poisoning and I became very anemic because the food poisoning was so bad I started vomiting blood they are literally the worst restaurant in Lowell Massachusetts and they need to be shut down permanently.. the kitchen has cockroaches and mice yes going to walk to the bathroom one day I saw four mice and cockroaches crawl under the swinging doors at the kitchen it's fucking nasty as fuck in there I will never go back there ever in my life read more

I've been here many times for both regular food and dim sum. The food is typical of what you would find at any Chinese restaurant, not bad but also nothing special. I wouldn't recommend coming here though due to the poor service and attitude of the staff. The staff has proven to be quite dishonest with regards to pricing. For instance, one of the vegetable dishes on the menu is $13.95. However, when the bill came, we were charged $22. When asked about the discrepancy, the waitress rudely responded "That's just what it is." We told her about the price the menu advertised for and she said "The person who took your order didn't tell you? The price changed it's more expensive right now" and walked away. There was no apology of any sort or acknowledgment for the error in incorrectly advertised price. We begrudgingly paid the elevated price rather than dealing with the rude waitress. More recently, we returned for dim sum. There aren't many places for dim sum where I live unless you're willing to drive to Boston, so we came here out of convenience. The service we received was poor. Our plates were not cleared in a timely manner and our glasses of water were left unfilled. When the check came, we tipped based on the quality of service received, a little under 15%. Our bill was returned to us and we were told that we needed to tip at least 15% or more as this was a requirement of the restaurant. I've never been to a restaurant where we were required to tip a certain amount unless there is a large party (in which case it is added on and this was not the case). We tipped based on the very poor service we received and should be allowed to do so. TLDR; Check your bill carefully! You may be charged prices different than what is advertised. You are required to tip at least 15% regardless of what kind of service you receive. Lastly, if you order tea for the table, regardless of whether or not every person drinks it you will be charged per person there. EDIT: Soon after my review, the owner Johnny L. messaged me to inform me that he had immediately addressed the situation with his wait staff. He also apologized for the poor service I received and the tip issue. I really appreciate the accountability of the restaurant. The owner truly cares about his customers and their experience. I will likely come to the restaurant again and give it another try. read more

I wish I can give them zero star. The dimsum is cool not hot, deep fried oil and smells bad, not crunchy. Both my friend and I vomit right away in the parking lot after we had a dimsum here. read more

This place serves authentic dim sum that they push around on the carts so that you can choose what you want to eat. Don't listen to the reviews that judge this place based on their American-Chinese food. The food that really matters here is the dim sum, and this place does it well. read more