I've reviewed this restaurant before. Where did that go? Someone deleted all reviews? Recently they launched dim sum for Sat and Sun lunch. So I took my mom for a try. It's not a typical dim sum you will have in other Chinese restaurant. They did some creative invent, like sugar cane shrimp, coffee glazed baby back ribs, honeydew jelly drink, Avocado crab ball, etc. They all look so good, you definitely will over-ordered. I like their Peking duck although it's not authentic. I'm from Beijing. We don't eat duck in a bread, but a wrap. My mom likes their Satay Chicken most. She doesn't understand why they used black napkins because no Chinese restaurants use black napkins. But I like it. One of their red bean dessert has mouse shape. Very cute. I will bring my son for it next time. The bill is almost double of other regular Dim Sum places. You pay for the creativeness too. Btw, at lunch time, Chinatown is totally packed and the first floor restaurant Musashino has nobody. read more

Well, just to preface my review, we went a little bat-shit crazy ordering food at ol' Chinatown last Saturday night. Don't judge me... we were really hungry. We were sat and ordered a great bottle of red wine and settled into the menu. Chinatown is great if you have some sushi eaters and some non-sushi eaters with you because you can order the same quality rolls and sushi you get downstairs at Musashino but you're also able to order a full menu of authentic chinese food at the same time upstairs. We started with three rolls-- two Crazy (tuna over salmon avocado, cucumber with extra spicy mayo sauce) and one Godzilla roll (Tempura shrimp, orange tobiko, spicy sauce, avocado, cream cheese green onion, chili sauce and sesame seeds). All of the sushi rolls were gobbled up really quickly and we were tempted to order another round... but then remembered the rest of the food on it's way. Next came out the the crab puffs and the pan fried pork dumplings. Uh, yum! The crab puffs were crispy and, well, creamy-crabby and the pan fried pork dumplings were large and tasty. I typically like steamed dumplings better, but we were with people who like it fried so I didn't argue. The dumplings take 20 minutes, so be prepared for a little wait... so we ordered another bottle of wine. :) Next, three of us wanted to share family style. We ordered the Chefs Special Beef, Singapore Noodles and the Sizzling "Assorted" that comes with beef, chicken and shrimp with mixed vegetables served on a hot sizzling plate. Think fajitas but chinese food. All were quite tasty but I have to say my favorite was the Chefs Special Beef. It had great flavor, texture and crunch. The fourth in our party didn't want to share and he ordered his OWN personal Chefs Special Beef. Well, there's a party pooper in every bunch... but I can't blame him, that beef was great. The service is also always pleasant. We've managed to get the same young guy about four times in a row (Brandon) and he always remembers us. He brought us a special dessert because he remembered us (probably just to see if we could eat it after the 10 people worth of food we just ate). And we did. All in all, it was about $100 a couple... not bad for two $45 bottles of wine, three sushi rolls, 2 appetizers, and 4 main courses. Damn, I'm dying to try this place for dim sum. read more

Knowing that I would have to drive 2-3 hours to Houston to get some good dim sum, I decided to give Chinatown a try. I got here with my friends at 11 am on Saturday, as soon as they opened. The hostess was quick in taking us to our table and our server was prompt in asking us what we would like to drink. Immediately after, the first cart rolled by with the typical staples that you'll see at any dim sum restaurant. Quality-wise, the food was very solid except for their pork buns--Don't get them or you'll be disappointed. I was expecting the pork to be stuffed in something similar to a bao zhi, however it was not. When we received our check, the price startled me. Since there was three of us and the total ran to be around 60 dollars, we each ended up paying 20 dollars not including tip. That's pretty expensive for dim sum knowing that we got approximately 10 dishes. Other than that, when I'm craving some more dim sum and I'm not willing to drive outside of Austin, I'll come back again. read more

This place is great. Have been several times during lunch and they are always providing fast service and the food is delicious. Their shrimp fried rice is fantastic and the lunch portion was pretty big. Love the building too-very cute. read more

This Chinatown location is basically two separate restaurants, there are 3 locations in Austin. Downstairs is a sushi restaurant, upstairs is Chinese food. They have the same name and owner, but are basically seperate with a different waitlist and hostess. The upstairs serves Dim Sum only on the weekend between 11 am and 2:30 pm. This seems to be the reason for the higher ratings of the food overall. If you want Dim Sum outside of that timeframe, you are out of luck and you are left with the worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. This review is not for the Dim Sum or the Sushi. The pork in the Moo Shu Pork tasted exactly like the beef in the Beef with green peppers. In both cases, the meat quality was terrible. The crepes were cold and hard on the edges. The dumplings were marginal at best. On top of it all, it was a cold night (45 degrees) and they had the air conditioning running. My wife was freezing with her jacket on and mine. We asked the wait staff to tend to it, they agreed, but did nothing. In general the service was fine. Hard to believe the website for the restaurant says: WE PROMISE... TO PROVIDE OUR CUSTOMERS THE MOST PLEASANT DINING EXPERIENCE BY PREPARING WITH THE FRESHEST INGREDIENTS, SERVING THE HIGHEST QUALITY CUISINES AND WITH A SIMPLE SMILE. This is clearly an unkept promise. We both left hungry, because the quality of our food was so poor we couldn't eat it anymore. read more

I went a few nights ago and didn't care for the rude reception we got from the host. He sighed and seemed very annoyed we chose to dine there. He asked if we were in a hurry, went away for awhile then came back and was like ok come on. Not welcoming, felt like a cow being led into my spot at the feed lot. Everything did taste pretty good that visit, so I decided not to let the cold reception bother me. I made the mistake of dining there again last night with my family. I've been up all night nursing my six year old who just now stopped throwing up and having loose bms. She has finally passed out. Food Poisoning. She had the Chinatown fried rice. Just spoke to another in my party from last night. They also got food poisoning. read more

On Saturday my friend and I went for dim sum. She had never been at all, and I've only been years ago for dinner and drinks with my dear friend who at the time was so closeted, he had a timeshare in Narnia. Chinatown and Charlie's were our spots. Him and I only sat at the bar and have never been to the other side of the restaurant so when my girlfriend and I walked in we had a moment of confusion. Unfortunately, the guy host was pretty short (in attitude and stature) with us and lead us to the dim sum area but failed to show us a table, so we awkwardly sat at any random table. We get chicken and mushroom dumplings, Chinese broccoli, and sticky rice. All good. My friend loves seafood and most of their dim sum items have seafood in them so she was loving it. I am extremely picky about seafood, any hint of anything fishy, immediate nausea and exaggerated claims of "I'm gonna die" will ensue. So for me, most things for not an option, but... Having the menu to check off what you want instead of waiting for the carts was a godsend b/c it sped up the process. I found Chilean Sea Bass with Miso sauce and OMG I lit up like an Odessa football stadium on a Friday night. For $12, you get the same size serving as you would find at Sullivan's for about $40. Granted, it's not huge, the size of a scoop of ice cream, but that's the standard size of Sea Bass when I've ever had it. Buttery, flaky, the miso sauce was really great despite the fact I don't even like miso anything. But miso happy I found that Sea Bass on the menu. If I didn't have that Sea Bass I wouldn't ever go back, unless it was with my now openly gay friend for dinner. The presentation is what you really pay for, crispy spring roll flutes were served in hurricane glasses, everything was beautiful, but you do pay an upcharge. We walked away with a bill a little over $50 which was what we were expecting. read more

We came for the Sunday brunch dumpling extravaganza. My friend tempted us with the fact that she compares it to any dumplings she has had on either coast and swears by them. We were not dissapointed. This was organized chaos people. Waiters running around with steaming carts of delicious dumplings. I love that you sit down, grab the nearest person wheeling a cart and say "whaddya got in there?". You pick a dumpling and they mark it on your card to show you ordered it. Simple as that. We had so many yummy dumplings I cannot remember them all. Some highlights are the shrimp and green onion and the chinese broccoli. And the duck sandwiches.... OH the duck sandwiches! My absolute favorite dish we had that day. The duck was moist on a sweet bun with an amazing sauce. I swear I could have eaten 5 of those little devils! So on and on it went, waves of dumplings washing over us, hot tea, chicken feet? Yes chicken feet. I had to pass on that one. Not being a fan of anyone's feet I didnt want to put a chicken's foot in my mouth. A wonderful and stuffed experience at the end. We had a blast trying all of the wonderful treats Chinatown had to offer. Buyer beware though.. those little dumplings add up! Our bill was close to $75 for two when it was all said and done. But dont let that hold you back. It is a fun experience worth the extra dough. read more

Super hard option to beat. You want old school Americanized Chinese food done right? They've got that. You want something a bit more upscale? They've got that too. Dim Sum? They were one of the original Dim Sum places in Austin. Sushi? They've got a great sushi menu too. Whether you want fried rice, Kung Pao chicken, or a variety of sushi, this is the place to go to have it done right. Ronald Cheng is truly a first class restaurateur and his passion for all things Asian continues to shine. Not only is Chinatown an Austin institution, the variety here beats the Asian fusion types at their own game. read more

MSG. While eating there last night, I told my husband that I hadn't been to this location in 15 years or so and the last time I had a reaction to MSG. I've eaten plenty of Chinese food between then and now and never had another reaction. Until today. So I can only conclude that not only has this restaurant not been enlightened as to what poison MSG is, they must also use massive amounts of it because those 2 visits, 15 years apart are the only times I've reacted. As I said, I've eaten a lot of other Chinese food in that time. It's too bad because there are great vegetarian/vegan options on their menu and the service was great, but I'll never go back. read more

I've been to the bar multiple times while waiting for an open table at the sushi restaurant on the ground floor, but last weekend was my first time at the Chinatown restaurant itself. I went for my boyfriend's mother's birthday. Our party of seven was well taken care of, even though we arrived in clumps, objected to the original table because the air vents chilled the seating, and no one ordered alcohol (is that an Austin thing?, I wonder, expecting service to be worse if you're not drinking? Food for thought.). We ordered six dishes between the seven of us, and the Mu Shu Pork, spicy battered shrimp, and Sea Bass were each extra delicious. I'm not super familiar with Chinese food, but I thought everything except the pineapple fried chicken was worth repeating. D.'s family has lived in Asia and I trust their collective judgment that the food here is the best Chinese in Austin. Our service was polite and attentive and the food was tasty! What's not to like? read more

Service: Terrible. Never confirmed our online order, never picked up the phone, never submitted it to the kitchen, when my husband arrives to check on the order is told he would have a one hour wait. Never again. read more

I recall a time when Chinatown was considered to be one of the premier Chinese food restaurants in Austin. That time has passed. Joined a friend there on a 2-for-1 lunch special (coupon). The hot and sour soup had that unpleasant gelatinous quality, and was not hot -- either in temperature or spice. My Hunan beef was loaded with MSG. My mouth and face became numb, a surefire test for me. The beef had clearly had a dose of it, as it was extremely mushy. An exceptionally greasy eggroll completed the meal. Oh, there was a little chicken wing, which I didn't eat. And lukewarm tea. Not even on a coupon. read more

While the food was good, I still was very disappointed with this restaurant. The waitress seemed like a slug with no personality. We were there with a group of 6 on a Sunday. We reviewed the menu and chose our entrees, and decided to get sushi. The waitress tells us that they don't serve sushi on Sunday. What the heck??? There is nothing on their website or on the menu saying that they don't serve sushi on Sunday. We got the food and everything was ok. It was not worth the $15-$25 price though. The part that really got me was when the waitress reached over my neighbor's food and grabbed my glass by the rim. She refilled it with water, then put it back the exact same way. While this type of service could be expected from a small hole in the wall restaurant, I would not expect it from an expensive fancier restaurant like this. Very disappointed. read more

A great spot for dim sum, my girlfriend and I came to Chinatown Restaurant for a quick bite. The dim sum restaurant is on the 2nd floor of the building, so don't be surprised to find a sushi place when you walk into the 1st floor. We came around 1:00pm and were seated right away. I loved all the dishes we ordered. The turnip cakes were our favorite dish. The shumai, duck buns, and sesame balls were all good. Although the prices were a little higher than typical dim sum places, I felt the quality of the ingredients were better. With that said I'd come dine here when I'm craving dim sum. read more

Easily the best dim sum in town, a couple of others are a close second but this one takes the cake. Being that my father's side is asian, I've eaten my way through a few HUGE dim sum family brunches. I've seen complaints about waiting for dim sum but we got there on a Sunday right as dim sum was starting and had no problem. However, don't get too excited at the beginning like we did because you'll order EVERYTHING. We had so much already... then the good stuff came out. All of your traditional dim sum dishes, su mai, har gow, dumplings, pork bun, gai lon, all delicious. Servers are all nice and friendly as well. Going for dinner and ordering off the menu is also good, I really have nothing bad to say about Chinatown and haven't ever tasted anything I didn't love. I want to try the new(ish) one downtown. Note, one off Bee Caves in the Randall's shopping center is of no relation but actually the ex-wife's Chinatown, soooo, sort of relation. Supposedly, its about the same. Update: Went again the other day and they have a sort of Japanese fusion now too, HAVE TO try the Chilean Seabass with the Miso glaze, it was a sort of poached or steamed fish that just melts in your mouth--DE-LISH! Also, now they have snow pea leaf with oyster sauce (like the gai-lon but better) that's a must try as well! And now they have peking duck sandwiches that are more like asian tacos bc its peking duck meat in a BBQ bun type dough but its shaped like a tortilla or taco shell, very cool and very good. The Coffee glazed ribs are good too AND the sugar cane shrimp (or something? I forgot exactly what its called) but its shrimp on a sugar cane stick (I lick the stick too) which is actually I think a Vietnamese cuisine but amazing nonetheless! Great place, closest thing to San Fran dim sum here in Austin! Must go! read more

Hey Chinatown, I'm really glad that you're massively successful. Your dim sum pretty much rocks, and the quality has not slipped in spite of your popularity. But the service, not so much. Your servers themselves are good, but you have too many tables packed into too small of a space. I have two suggestions: 1. Get rid of the tables that your servers can't see. My husband and I sat in one of those today, and we got seriously shafted. It is very frustrating to watch as our neighbors are offered succulent and varied dishes while we can't even manage to catch the server's eye. We were crammed into a corner, surrounded by other tables, with no clear line of sight for the servers. Not. Good. 2. Don't have more tables than you can service effectively. This restaurant is just packed too full to provide adequate service to all the customers. At some point you have to decide which is more important - serving 100 people, or satisfying 75. I hope you choose the latter. read more

This place has legit dim sum plus more! We came here back-to-back this weekend and loved it. Quality dim sum dishes, most are authentic and they had a good spread with some newer twists added in there too. Peking duck buns are a treat, good to have that option but as you might expect, one of the pricier items at $7.50 for 2 buns. I definitely liked this place better than T&S for dim sum. Top notch service made a lasting impression. I especially dig their savory chili sauce that they serve with every table. It has some type of yummy preserved morsels (i'm thinking radish/turnip) mixed into it, a minor point but something that I value when it comes to my dim sum experience :) Their fried turnip cakes are some of the best I've had, real chunks of radish and kind of made-to-order as they fry it fresh for you table-side. Nice touches all around! read more

best dim sum in Austin... I won't eat dim sum anywhere else in Austin the choices are so unique and tasty I was in heaven... Seriously, it is great.. they even made a red bean dessert that looks like a mouse. It was so realistic my son tried to kill it. I took a bite out of its back to show him it was food, but he only thought I wounded it and struck again. read more

Oh, they fancy, huh. I don't see why though. I really hate overrated places. I feel like the interior is ostentatious for no reason. And like a previous reviewer said, this place is cramped. I felt like I walked into an attic. On to the food. Dim sum is dim sum; everything should be fresh and service should be quick. They were spot on with this. However... my favorite dish is the rice noodles. Rice noodles should split apart so easily that you can't even pick it up with chopsticks. So my reaction to Chinatown's rice noodles was as follows: "Wow. I'm actually picking it up. Okay, it just split right down the middle. Was this just thawed or something?" TERRIBLE. I'm not just hating because of the rice noodles. I'm just saying this place isn't all that. read more

More style than substance. The interior is attractive, and the waitstaff is nicely dressed. However, the interior is cramped and makes for tight quarters. It felt as though we had to scoot in closer to our table each time a cart rolled by. The atmosphere is all right, but the clientele are a buzzkill. It's not entirely relaxed like other places, either. The dim sum and menu items are okay (read: edible), but are overpriced. Each dim sum dish is supposed to be inexpensive, but the price here is easily 25-33% more per dish than what you'd find anywhere else. The portions are large - but it doesn't matter because in other dim sum places, when you receive 3-5 pieces per dish, here you get 2-3 oversized pieces. And the flavor seems to be hidden in the massive quantities of greasy/steamed matter. Hmmm...I wish I could say I liked this place, probably because it's "pretty," but as far as good food goes, it doesn't match up to other places in town. read more

We ordered one of their imperial dinners for two, which comes with soup, Pu-Pu platter 6-appetizer tray, and two dishes from a select list. All was really good. Their egg drop soup is how it should be... Egg drop. Many places in town put peas, carrots, or other junk in there. The pu-pu platter was very tasty. And our two dishes were excellent, although my memory fails me right now for what they were. My biggest issue is that Chinatown is pricier than many Chinese places... Not your every week kind of place, but then again they are not trying to be. The imperial dinners bump up the value, but your choices of dinner are limited, and no substitutions seem to be allowed. The ambiance is quiet and nice, much above the typical Chinese restaurant. We've had the same waiter the last 4-5 times we have been there, and that was over the span of a good number of years. Recommended! read more

I rate Chinatown solely on the basis of its dim sum. These pillows of delight make me swoon, kick up my heels, feel like I am 18 and falling in love all over again. Speaking of youth, most of the cart pushers looked like they weren't a day out of high school. If you go during a time when it's not crazy yet, be prepared for these dim sum pimps and dealers to descend upon you like seniors on a pretty young freshman. No, these metaphors are unjustifiably unsavory--they were all so cute and friendly, it was hard to say no. So, needless to say, our table was groaning with platefuls of dumplings and other assorted goodies. By the time they were brandishing the trays of sea bass, I was kicking myself. "Why didn't we wait for these?" I lamented out loud. A young lad advised that we needed to tell them, No, but just ten minutes ago he had been giving us the puppy dog eyes of a trick-or-treating five-year old on Halloween, when asking us if we wanted some shrimp toast (I couldn't resist). I think this is the best dim sum place in town. The whole dining experience is pleasant, including the food, the ambience and decor, and the service. The Chinese broccoli was EXCELLENT, and of course the other standards were great (note that the salt and pepper shrimp isn't as good as T&S's, but this is a trifling matter). read more

We checked out the dim sum here today, and though it was far from an ideal experience, this is where we'll likely come from now on for dim sum. Pro - LOTS of selection; about double the typical dim sum offerings with solid basics (siu mai, fried, custards) and a LOT of "noveau" stuff (salt and pepper rockport fried shrimp, Redi-Whip BBQ ribs, rodent shaped (with the eyes and ears) desserts - mmhmm). Pro - Peking Duck pancakes. MMmmm - you can get these at Din Ho, but outside of Wei Li in Vegas, we'd never had such good peking duck pancakes - just the right amount of red and green onions, sauce, and duck. Pro - cool owner; who came over and checked on us several times. He had some incredibly stylish glasses - I wish I had asked him where he got them. Con - we had to wait almost 30 minutes to get in. This isn't shocking given that the majority of Austin's hot spots have a wait on Sundays for brunch, but the order in which people were called seemed arbitrary, and at least one group left before they were seated, in irritation. Con - because they were so jampacked, it took 15 minutes for us to get our first drinks, and about 30 minutes to finally get the dumpling tray wheeled over. Towards the middle of the meal, service improved dramatically (the rush was ending, and there were more hands on deck), but the initial impression was that they were overwhelmed. Tip - stick with the tried and true. The standout dishes in addition to the duck were the shrimp and cilantro dumplings, pork siu mai, and spinach dumplings. If you go too far off the beaten path, you will spend a lot more and miss the point of the dim sum experience. I disagree with another poster who said this place is double the price of a typical dim sum experience. I would agree with 50% higher - but I think it's a higher quality product than most dim sum here, and to be, there is a value in the servers speaking English and thoroughly describing each piece on their tray. All in all - if I spoke Cantonese, I would probably consider Shanghai my preferred dim sum place, but Chinatown is more accessible, and they have a quality product and experience. read more

Ooohh food on a cart! Oooh you get to pick whatever you want as it wheels by! Ooooh YUM YUM Dim Sum. Sesame balls! Chicken basil dumplings! BBQ Pork Bun! Ooooh what the heck is THAT?! I don't care, I want it. Ohhhh Stuffed Taro nest with Honey Glazed Shrimp Ooooh it's goooood! Me= Dim Sum Dork read more

This is clearly a dim sum restaurant for the Westerner, but its still pretty good and their selection is quite large. This is also the only dim sum restaurant that I've been to that has young college kids pushing dim sum carts. To the pretty girl pushing the dessert cart: I think you're very cute and pretty and my little bro has a crush on you. Message me if you're reading this. read more

Come see me at the bar and let me make you some sushi ! Oh and the fried rice is pretty good and delicious ! Don't forget the dumpling and their general tso chicken ! read more

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I heard that T&S was hands down the place to go for dim sum. Fail. Dumb sum is what they serve. Here at Chinatown with chefs from Hong Kong offering up the tastiest dim sum this side of the Pacific (although not as east as the Atlantic) is by far the only place in town to go to. I had the steam buns filled with pork, a large portion of steam and marinated spinach and two sets of dumplings. The shrimp and cilantro wrapped in egg covered rice dumpling and shrimp with shitake mushrooms in a shumai style. Everything was excellent. I couldn't resist the peking duck, crispy juicy moist and wowowow with hoisin sauce. This is my go to Chinese and although I'd love more of a selection in town, for now I'm sated right here. read more

Best fried rice in town, also the sesame chicken is amazing but the mala duck is out of this world. If you want sushi this restaurant will give you that too and is really good. Service is great and always friendly. read more

We went to Chinatown for Dimsum and enjoyed it very much. The selection was very interesting in that they had some very unique dishes besides the normal dimsum fare. We tried the miso sea bass, which was excellent. So buttery. The turnip cakes were good, as well as the shiu mai and har gow. Service was great, and the food offerings came by often. There was even a drink cart that had mimosas and bloody marys which made the dimsum seem more like a Sunday brunch. It's a little more expensive than other dimsum restaurants, but the special dishes, ambience, and level of service make it worthwhile. Make sure you check out the ornate chairs near the entrance. The owner told us that those two chairs are from the 18th century and he bought them from Sotheby's. read more

A dinner here after a long weekend was just the thing to cure my Sunday blues. Chinese food is like comfort food to me, and this excellent meal hit exactly the notes I was hoping for. It was quiet in the upstairs dining room, whose red decor takes me right back to big, long family dinners in ramshackle restaurants in shady parts of town. Our server was polite, helpful, and quick. Decor and service were spot on, in other words, and set the tone for a pleasant experience. For a Chinese place, they put a lot of focus on the wine list, which is large, and wine is a big part of the decor as well. There's a glass-enclosed wine room and a ton of bottles on display throughout the dining room. Our Murphy-Goode Pinot Noir was well-priced and delicious. Since we were incredibly hungry, we ordered an Imperial Dinner for Two. This includes a soup, a pu pu platter, and an entree for each of us and is quite reasonably priced. If you leave hungry after eating all this, you have a tapeworm or something. Food-wise, pretty much everything hit the mark. The hot and sour soup was both hot and sour (a rare treat in this town). The platter had only overly chewy ribs as a flaw. Our Triple Crown noodles were tasty, and had a wonderful contrast of textures. And the Sesame Beef was perfectly seasoned and amazingly tender. I've been here a few times, but on this visit the food really hit a high mark. I ate way past the point of fullness and made my way into coma-territory. When presented with Chinese food this good, I can't help myself. So come here for the excellent versions of classic AmeriChinese cuisine, the delightful and still classy retro ambiance, and what I thought was stellar service. I know I will return for the same. read more

Chinatown has the most amazing Dim Sum in Austin and beyond. I frequently travel to the Bay Area and checked out plenty of places in San Fran's China-town district. Ronald and the gang at Chinatown have it down great service, great presentation, very reasonable prices, it's all you could expect and want -- oh, did I mention the sushi down-stairs and upstairs? Superb - yet I dont get the Sushi/Chinese connection! read more

Great service! If you have a group of 6 I think this is the perfect spot. The restaurant is attractive, they have great cocktails, and a huge selection of tasty Chinese dishes AND an entire menu devoted to sushi (Musashino is downstairs). Last night we celebrated my husband's birthday there with my parents and some friends. The escolar appetizer was fantastic! I also really enjoyed the crispy duck that I shared with my mom. Previously I've really enjoyed the three cup chicken and the sesame shrimp. Like most Chinese restaurants that serve popular dishes like Chinatown does, they use quite a bit of cornstarch. You can avoid cornstarch by asking your server what is cooked to order, and requesting your food to be cooked without. The fried rice is not good. So sad. However, the experience for a group is pretty great. Everyone will leave happy and full! read more

Went here for a late dinner and even though we were the last in the restaurant they served us promptly and with a smile. Our waters were constantly refilled, our soups came out right away (and they were delicious), our dinners (hunan style shrimp and broccoli and general's chicken) came out hot, delicious, and looked pretty on the plate. Everything about the dinner was awesome except the fact that it's a little pricey. So why the 2 stars? Well, the next day I woke up feeling AWFUL! I felt bloated and icky and my skin didn't even feel right. There was so much salt and MSG in the food I've been feeling disgusting for 2 days now. I eat chinese food fairly frequently, and some places are better than others for this, but this place is THE WORST. We couldn't remember why we hadn't been back in 2 years. 4 stars for the food and service. 1 star for the after effects. Seriously guys, lay off the salt shaker and let your patrons add their own if they need it. I do not like carrying a water baby on my tummy for 2 days! read more

Love this place! Great Dim Sum! Great customer service and ambiance. The food quality has that fresh, made the same day taste. I didn't feel anything was recycled there. I typically don't go for sui mai but theirs is excellent. The curried squid was delectably tender. I even tried the chicken feet for the first time -My cousin made me. The flavor was yum yum. I just can't do ANY type of animal feet, pass the lotus wrapped rice would ya? We were both living for the white chrysanthemum tea and Peking duck sandwiches! Happy tummies everywhere! They really treat you like royalty every time, every staff member is so kind and considerate and it really shows! Kudos and great job guys!!! read more

This has been my go-to for dim sum for years. Recently I was treated to lunch and got a Lemon Chicken lunch plate instead of the usual. Don't ask me why. I just saw a bunch of thinly sliced lemons with sautéed chicken in my head & it sounded refreshing. Bleh! Not so much. It was battered-fried-chicken-caterpillars-swimming/drowning/gasping for air in sweet pineapple sauce. Bleh! Bleh! Take that crap off the menu China Town! My bad. Won't happen again. read more

So I recently ate dim sum at a place where I had to order dishes instead of the carts and then I remembered this place. Yes they have the carts but they also have Speciality dishes they they carry around on plates and you can order specific dishes here too. This was by far the best dim sum I had in Austin. But when the bill came out I was shocked. This place is EXPENSIVE!!! If it wasn't for the price I'd give this place 5 stars. This place awesome offered the dumplings you eat with the spoon, don't know the name but only other place I found these were in New York so I was very impressed. read more

Incredible food. When my little family wants to go for something special on Sunday, this is it. The service can be bumpy here and there, but that is understandable when the place is filled to capacity as soon as it opens the doors for Dim Sum. The food more than makes up for occasional delay in service. Seafood is king here for certain. If you are not a fan of shrimp and crab, this may not be your place. If you love seafood, this is like heaven, and wonderful battered and fried heaven. Is this as good as Dim Sum in LA, or SF, or Seattle? I have no idea. Never eaten Dim Sum in any of those cities. Don't care either, even though it seems to be yelp policy to compare anywhere you have eaten in Austin to some place in (insert city name here) that is better, hipper, less pretentious, and cheaper. I will however gladly eat your share of Dim Sum at Chinatown while you go find the next great thing in some far flung city. read more

We go here every year for my wife's birthday, simply because of ambiance and what seems to be missing from Austin's robust food joints, some classic Chinese. The prices are a little steep, admittedly...but the portions are family style and I don't get that ripped off feeling like Sway (I know, different style) or other midrange prices Asian. We stopped going to Din Ho because they started cutting back on their portions/price point. Egg rolls aren't all that great, neither is the egg drop...but my kiddos seems to love both of those. However, the duck is tasty and so are the dumplings...especially the veggie!! Also, check out their sushi...and their wine selection. Average score...but my wife loves it. So, it's prolly more like 3.5, cuz she said so. read more

I was happy to find a dim sum restaurant after having to leave behind my favorite in Virginia after moving. The food was really good but the prices for dim sum were outrageous. I'll be back as a treat to myself but I can't afford to be a regular. read more