Came here for their limited time AYCE on a Friday afternoon around 2pm. Man, I've been here so many times before but stopped coming due to the lack of service I've experienced but this last visit was a very different experience in the best way possible. Place was pretty slow around that time, we got seated pretty fast and as soon as we got to the table, the carts came. Carts were full and had a lot of variety, service has improved tremendously since my last visit, and there was multiple people tending to our table. Food was pretty good as i remembered, and the items that weren't available in the carts were ordered separately and came out very fast. They didn't ignore my water levels this time around. One call out is they're very strict about leftovers during AYCE. So just watch out for that. We had 3 half pieces of eggroll left and 2 pieces of shumai and were asked to try to eat some more haha. Fair but honestly not mad about is since I was so impressed with the overall improvement since last visit. Make sure to go to their limited time AYCE offering! Absolutely worth it read more

Golden Island - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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Everything says "pork" or "beef" then has shrimp with it, not labeled. Very misleading, I came here thinking I could eat half the menu and I could only eat like 4 items and desserts. The menu needs better labeling. Why have things that explicitly say shrimp, then also have shrimp with beef and pork? I knew I would be limited but not this bad. Chinamax is better. read more

Love how they're doing the all you can eat dim sum for a set price. However was not happy with them wanting to charge us for extra items because we left a few pieces behind. I understand if we left a large amount of food wasted. However, we only had a few pieces for a party of 10. Especially when the servers kept pushing on more plates than what I ordered. I would ask for one item and they would tell me they didn't have it however they would recommend another item and then put it on the table without me even saying okay. They have the old style metal cards they push around with all the dim sum dishes on there. Everything was super fresh and piping hot still. Only downside was that if they didn't have an item and you had to order it then it would take 20 to 30 minutes. Some of their servers need to pay more attention because we had metal trays stacking up and no one came and picked anything up almost the whole time we were there. Seems like they have servers to clean and then they have servers to refill the water because our waters and drinks kept getting refilled. They're in the same parking lot as a Target and 85° bakeries so plenty of parking. Love the decoration on the inside. Very spacious open area with lots of seating. You can also call an RSVP for large parties. read more

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We came here for the all you can eat dim sum experience and it was decent for AYCE quality. The portions were normal dim sum portions and they don't skimp on the amount of meat/filling in each dish. The dim sum wasn't amazing but it was decent! There are of course a few dishes that were better than some others such as the egg tart, spareribs with black bean sauce, and har gow. Would highly recommend ordering those! All drinks on their menu are included as apart of their AYCE experience. Total with tax and tip for our group of five came out to about $45 per person. Service was excellent! All the servers working there were kind and attentive. Plenty of parking out in front in a shared lot with other businesses. read more

Golden Island - Shrimp Har Gow, Shrimp Rice Roll, BBQ Pork Bun, Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce, Beef Rice Roll, Sticky Rice Wrap, Pork Siu Mai - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

Honestly the food and ambiance were pretty solid. I would give it 4 stars if it didn't take 30+ minutes for orders. When orders came, it was only 1 of 3 that I ordered. We ended up leaving without some orders and paid 75 bucks for 2 people even though we only ate for 1 person. read more

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The food was good and came out hot. I took out one start because we had to wait about 15 minutes before an item would come out, but the service was great! I don't know how anyone can say the food isn't good. We ordered the Shrimp Har Gaw, Shrimp Siu Mai, stuffed eggplant , Ribs with Pepper, and the Sweet Cream Steamed bun. Everything was delicious. read more

We tried this place after seeing a movie around 3:00. They were open--which was great for us, but we were the only customers at that hour. The server/cart lady was very nice and attentive. Since there were just the two of us we picked out six dishes which was plenty for us. Instead of doing the all you can eat Dim Sum option for about $35.00 per person. (They have a no waste policy so they will charge you on top of that if you have food left over at the table.) Just six dishes à la cart came out to about 62.00 before tax and tip. The food was good , but it was expensive. Almost $3.00-$4.00 per piece. I would've definitely given it more stars for the food quality, but I thought it was very expensive for just six dishes. read more

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I was influenced by a TikTok and it didn't really live up to that. It wasn't bad and it was amazing. It was decent. I was slightly disappointed by the limited options compared to other traditional dim sum spots in town. They also didn't even present me a menu to order other items à la carte. read more

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Golden Island has a wide selection of dim sum. The Stuffed Eggplant in Teriyaki Sauce, Chicken Feet, Beef Short Ribs with Black Pepper Sauce, Shrimp Har Gow, and Gui Hua Cake were delicious. read more

Golden Island - Shrimp Har Gow, Chicken Feet, Stuffed Eggplant in Teriyaki Sauce, Beef Short Ribs in Black Pepper Sauce - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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I haven't been back since they rebranded from Feng Feng Yeun to Golden Island. They're running a new AYCE promo, and some friends and I decided to give it a try. You can get most dim sum items via AYCE. There is certainly lots of variety. Some highlights: Salt and pepper wings come in 4 pieces per order and were delicious. Veggies (Chinese broccoli and green beans) were great. Dessert buns (pineapple and lava) were still tasty on a full stomach. Skip the rice rolls, they're stale and not good at all. Some of the items, like potstickers are jumbo-sized (not good and not worth stomach room). Check out the carts going around for non-AYCE customers so you can get a visual before you order. Overall, food was mediocre as SD County dim sum remains, but service was fantastic (contrary to other reviews, but might be because it's easier and more natural for staff to provide better service when they can speak Canto). But at $40pp before tip, it's not really worth it unless you're trying to gain weight. Next time, I'll stick with à la carte. read more

Came here to celebrate a friend's bday. This place is huge and even has an area dedicated for live music at certain nights. We ordered a variety of dim sum, though they all came out warm, but the tastes were just average. Service, however, was good. read more

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Came back for their new AYCE dim sum menu. It's last from 10am-4pm and weekend price is $36, and some change. There was a wait when we got there at 1pm but if you have a bigger group it's easier to seat since they have more of the large tables. You can order the dishes through a QR code on your phone which is limited to 6 items every 5 mins or order from the carts. When my family and I were there the kitchen service was VERY slow and there only 2 carts going around. Something made the kitchen back up. My mom made a comment to the server and they were able to help keep an eye on our table and offered other dishes as it was made. Not sure what was happening in the kitchen that day. Overall I do recommend dim sum here. Quality is still good and the AYCE menu has good selection. Although the fried foods like chicken wings, tofu, shrimp, and calamari were kinda salty. Since it's the only AYCE dim sum in San Diego I think it's worth it, since dim sum is has increased in price. read more

I've gotten dim sum here twice now. I'm from Hong Kong, grew up in Chicago where dim sum is plentiful, as well as lived in LA. I can't say that the dim sum here is #1 but they have been consistently good. Especially in San Diego area. Good enough for me to bring my family and friends here. I also love that they have dim sum carts here which has been taken out of many dim sum places, but is nostalgic to me with more authentic feel to it! The staff here are quite friendly and helpful. If I want something that's not in their cart, they all work together to help me ask around for it or even ask the kitchen to make it fresh. Prices are quite high but I think that might be the norm in San Diego. Spent about 175 before taxes/tip for 6 people read more

Food was great! They serve dim-sum all day which is a plus. It is a bit pricey, but what's not these days. Service was awesome. Place is clean, huge and looks like a great place to large parties. read more

Golden Island - Celebrated my daughter's birthday. - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

We normally come here for their all day dim sum menu but decided on their dinner menu for lunch. It came out to be a very expensive and deceiving meal. Their portions are huge and price caters to banquet size of a table of 10. The fish maw soup ($27.99) was delicious and had actual crab meat and seafood, herbal, sponge items. The salted fish fried rice was not overly salted. Had plenty of fish and chicken ($24.99). Our third and final item was the steam whole fish ($58.88). The menu was deceiving when it listed items under live seafood with market value price when in reality, they do not carry live seafood. Their tank was empty. The server told us it's frozen fish shipped from Vietnam! Why am I paying $60 for a dead frozen fish! Even the receipt was rang up as daily catch market price. The fish was good and we would have never guessed that it was frozen. They need to be transparent and list the previously frozen price just like crab boil places that use frozen crawfish during off season. We felt blinded sided and cheated. A cup of tea is charged at $2.88 per person so decline if you don't drink tea. 4/5 for food taste but 1/5 for charging market price on a frozen item and marketing as live seafood. read more

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I went on a Friday night where there was a live band (The Mad Hat Hucksters) playing and I really enjoyed the food and ambience! The dim sum was really fresh, hot and flavorful. Outside of dim sum, we ordered the salt and pepper fish, which was hot and flavorful, but the texture did not really resemble fish. The spicy wontons were hard to pick up because the skins and meat kept falling apart. Parking is easy because it's in a large shopping plaza. read more

Golden Island - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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I usually come here for dim sum with my family and recently came back for dinner to celebrate my uncle's birthday. We had a great experience from start to finish. Our server, Maggie, was friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. We ordered the fresh lobster noodles, and Maggie brought out the lobster for us to choose, making the meal feel extra special. The lobster noodles were fresh and flavorful, and the roast pork belly was crispy outside and juicy inside. For dessert, we had the Gui Hua cake, which is always my must-order dessert every time we come here. It was so fresh and delicious, the perfect ending to our meal. Overall, great food, great service, and a wonderful spot for both casual dim sum and family celebrations. We'll definitely be back! read more

Golden Island - Lobster Noodles - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

We came here after a funeral at 3 pm on a Tuesday. The workflow for ordering was a bit confusing. I guess they usually have carts that navigate through the tables but at 3 pm during the weekday there were no carts. To order dim sum at this 3 PM time the ETA is 20 to 30 minutes. The service is a little lite on the charm department during the 3 pm time frame. We got the beef with string beans, soup, and shrimp. I was surprised the steamed and fried rice came at the end. This place has karaoke and live bands at certain times but not during the afternoon on a weekday. Executive Summary: Good for groups: 5/5 Parking: 5/5 Quantity: 5/5 Taste: 3/5 Service:3/5 I'm sorry to leave a 3 star review but it was a miss for me. I've been to Golden Chopsticks across the same street, I will go there instead on my next visit to this shopping square. read more

I enjoyed my first visit here. All dim sum was at the right temperature and very tasty. Service was pretty good though the cart waitresses often skipped my table, which was annoying. Nice ambiance. My only complaint is that there are no prices listed on the menu! Two dim sum I got were marked as large and I wondered if this was correct. Had no way of knowing which were small medium or large nor the prices until I got the bill. It was expensive. I wish they were transparent with charges. read more

Golden Island - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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Do you like being charged a premium for frozen dim sum that's warmed up on order? If so, this is the place to go! Their dim sum menu consists of items that are about as good as what you'd find in the frozen aisle at 99 ranch. The few items that are actually made fresh in house are also done so poorly that you'd think it came from a bag. Service was about as mediocre as the food. Most restaurants are just ok. This place is just bad. read more

So terrible experience, over charged and add 20% tops without asking. I am not recommended this place! If you go , please watching your money! read more

Came for the unlimited AYCE! Visited during the week and it was not busy at all. Make sure that they post a QR code at your table because that is how they can tell you are AYCE vs à la carte. The ordering is a little completed, the QR code does provide an ordering link, but we never used it. They had 2-3 ladies going around with carts who said that as long as you ordered from them it was included. There were times when they didn't have what we wanted so they placed the order for us. That might have been because it was not a busy day. For us, the AYCE was definitely worth it. We ordered are favorite dishes multiple times without any issues. Service was great, they were very nice and attentive. It was a little off in the beginning because we weren't given the QR code at first but it was fixed quickly. Definitely try out AYCE before it ends if you are a dim sum lover! Spacious setting, they were setting up a section for a banquet or celebration. read more

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Golden Island Restaurant is officially my new favorite AYCE dim sum spot--I'd even put it above China Max. They have all the classic dim sum dishes you'd want, and everything we tried was flavorful, fresh, and well-priced. The shrimp dumplings and har gow were standouts. The portions were generous, with plenty of shrimp filling and great flavor in every bite. At around $40 per person for all-you-can-eat dim sum, it's an incredible value and makes it easy to try a little bit of everything without worrying about the bill. The service was also great. Like a traditional dim sum restaurant, you sometimes have to flag someone down, but there were plenty of staff walking around and they were always friendly, attentive, and quick to help once they saw you. The restaurant itself is huge, with a lively atmosphere and lots of workers keeping everything running smoothly. It has that classic bustling dim sum ambiance that makes the experience feel authentic. If you're looking for a new AYCE dim sum spot, Golden Island is definitely worth checking out. read more

Came to Golden Island for an event. We were a big group. The food was delicious. To my surprise they also had dim sum. I ordered some red wine with my dinner. The staff was very friendly and super helpful. My friends and I had a great time. read more

Golden Island - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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First time trying the AYCE here with my husband and it just didn't feel worth the high price tag for mid-tier dim sum. Be warned: they are super strict about finishing everything or you get charged extra. We had half of a dumpling and one rice roll left on our plates and they mentioned they would unfortunately have to charge us if we did not finish it, luckily we were able to finish it. The staff is very friendly and the place is very clean, though they did forget our drinks a few times. Next time, I'd skip the AYCE and just order normally if we were to come back. read more

What a night?! My mom's PandaNme proclamation celebration and the kick-off of her PandaNme 1,000 Families Wellness Project was so much fun. She hosted it at Golden Island Restaurant, and the 10-course meal was a hit. Thank you to Golden Island and 萌姐 for making this happen for my mom! The performances were fantastic. We got to enjoy delicious food with the show. My friends won awesome prizes through the raffle tickets. Servers were great. I'll definitely be coming back here. read more

Golden Island - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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Came here for a wedding brunch. Food was pretty good and came out fast. It was also plenty of room for the big party.

If you want to feel like shit after dim sum. This is the place. We had dim sum 5000+ times in my life. This is by far the worst. They served us old/left over dishes from lunch. Food is extra salty and super greasy. No wonder they're doing ridiculous discounts and jazz nights to attract customers but crappy service accompanied by even crapper food makes it a perfect place for one star. Want seven dim sum? Just drive out to convoy and get your moneys worth. read more

First of all, I was influenced by a fellow Yelper that reviewed Golden Island last week. The food is authentic and delicious. Arrives hot and well seasoned and tasty. Then the dim sum cart comes and delivers your order and offers for you to see what you didn't order. Be careful!!! Your eyes may be too big!!! Awesome!!! The service was top notched. Always checking on our table and keeping our water topped off. Awesome!!! The tables were very clean. Walking in you see the bar and the back black wall with lights. And the windows bring in a lot of natural light. It's a very pleasant environment to enjoy your food!!! Awesome!!! Definitely coming back Friday for the Live Music and entertainment. Should be awesome!! read more

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Mmmmmm yummy!!! Golden island is probably my favorite dimsum place in San Diego! Not sure why it's so lowly rated! Came here on Saturday morning and we were seated right away with lots of empty tables! The place was clean and spacious! Best of all, all the food we had were so delicious except spicy jelly thingie. I'm so shocked this place is only 3 stars. I like here so much better than Jasmine and other dim sum places I tried in Convoy area. Also parking spots are plenty! Will def come back! read more

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Wonderful service!!!!!!!! Great staff, super friendly and very welcoming. A local gem!

Golden Island, For me, the dim sum at this restaurant used to be very good a few years ago, but now it's just okay. After not visiting for over a year. I came back and noticed the food quality had dropped significantly. The freshness and taste of the dim sum are much worse than before. The prices also seem much higher. Before writing this review, I looked through other reviews and saw that many people share the same opinion. The prices are too high, especially given how difficult the current economic situation is, while the quality customers receive is too low. The restaurant is very large, but the service is extremely slow. We waited a long time, and the dim sum carts came to our table only a few times. Gratuity is automatically added for large groups. I don't think this practice should still exist, yet many Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants continue to do it. In my opinion, if the service is good, customers will tip willingly. This is one of the reasons why many customers now choose American restaurants over Vietnamese or Chinese ones. Parking is spacious and convenient. read more

Golden Island - Tip is auto at your bill for party ??? - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

Came for dim sum on a busy weekend with a family of five. Some dishes took a little longer to come out, but that's understandable since certain items, like sticky rice, are made fresh and take more time. The food was good, and everyone, including the kids, found something they liked. Staff was friendly despite how busy it was. One of the few places in San Diego that still feels like traditional dim sum, with carts still going around the dining room. Free parking is also a big plus, especially since parking can be difficult or paid at some other popular dim sum spots. We'd come back. read more

Don't bother. I second everything that Choy R. said in her review, and can verify that we were there 2 days ago. She's my wife. I felt sick when we left. The burning fuel smell in the air was BAD. Cold food. Wrong condiments. Long waits. I've had some amazing dim sum in other cities. This place is bad bad bad. Hey. Danny V.. just to reiterate, 2 days ago. read more

Golden Island - Look at the bottom shelf. Cart on fire. What the heck?! - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

Dimsum here is not good! I ordered 5 different dimsum none of them are any good! Don't waste your money . Go to diamond dimsum... read more

Edit: in response to Danny V's comment below about this being dated information, I wanted to clarify to anyone reading this review that I went to this restaurant on 12/26/2025 and the photos were from that day, so their attempts at discrediting me are blatant lies. Stay away from this disgusting restaurant. ------------------ There is so much wrong with this place. Upon entering, one is the greeted with the harsh aroma of kerosene? Or is it butane? Or propane? Whatever it is, it's not what one wants to smell indoors in a restaurant in which one plans on spending a bit of time ... as dim sum isn't a quick undertaking. Upon quick inspection to discern the source of this smell, we saw it was coming from an open flame that was on one of the carts that was traveling around the dining room (see my pic of the cart with the fire burning on it). I know that dim sum carts are often heated to keep the food from getting cold during service, but never once have I smelled the heat source. And starting the meal off with the ambience of a gas leak was not something I anticipated at all. We should have just walked out because it just got worse from that point forward. There were only 2 of us so we didn't go crazy, but we ordered a good amount. ALL the dishes were served tepid in temperature and that is simply unacceptable. That being said, let's get to the nitty gritty details.... We grabbed some go-to staples as the carts went by (in this order): -Shrimp dumplings -Chicken feet -BBQ pork rice rolls -Shrimp rice rolls -Pan-fried buns -Sesame balls And we ordered a couple of dishes off the menu from the kitchen: -Chinese broccoli (gai lan) with oyster sauce -Beef chow fun (sautéed wide flat noodles) Shrimp dumplings- whoever made these made them too big so they were touching the sides of the metal steamer and they left them in the steamer too long so the translucent rice skins became way too soft and fragile. The result was that when one went to pick it up with one's chopsticks, it just completely fell apart and regurgitated its filling into the metal steamer basket. (See pic). The filling on these was not seasoned well and the texture was also too dense. So in addition to being sticky and structurally unsound, they didn't even taste good. Chicken feet- these are supposed to be a chicken skin lovers dream. They are supposed to be savory, flavorful, and an enticing mouthfeel of tendon and cartilage that is easily separated from the small bones with one's tongue - the stuff of centuries of muscle memory. The ones at Golden Island were not left in the steamer long enough and they were overly chewy and hard to eat. The tendons were hard to separate from the bones which means they needed a lot more time. The entire dish was under seasoned and needed about twice the amount of sauce, being on the dry side. The BBQ pork rice rolls had a structural issue like the shrimp dumplings, and some were intact and others were excreting their fillings out of splits on the side. Also, the filling was bland and needed a lot more seasoning causing the whole dish to be bland even with the soy sauce drizzled over it. The shrimp rice rolls were served room temperature (what?!) and the shrimps were too firm and slightly fishy (eek!) while the rice roll wrapper was flimsy just like the BBQ pork versions above. The pan fried buns appeared legit and held promise until I bit into them. The filling was salty enough, but too dense like a meatball and the bottoms of the buns were not crisp enough. Usually, one expects the filling to be juicier and looser, somewhere between a regular steamed pork bun and a soup dumpling. The pan fried bottoms should yield a satisfying crunch when juxtaposed with the soft steamed doughy top. These were not fried for long enough so they weren't very crispy at all. Sesame balls - this was the only item that tasted ok and as expected, but it was not served warm despite being on a cart with a wide open flame licking the cart shelves. Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce struck out initially because the server brought hoisin sauce instead of oyster sauce and we didn't notice until we put the sauce on everything then started eating only to be horrified by the sweet taste. We sent that dish back and they remade it, but we didn't get it until 30 minutes later. It came out cold, but with the correct sauce. The texture of the leaves was too soft, as they over-poached it. There is no photo of this because, by this point, I was so frustrated I stopped taking photos. Beef chow fun - this dish never came as they forgot about it.... So we had them take it off the bill and we tried to GTFO after that. There are many other bad dim sum restaurants in SD to go waste your money, but this one really took the cake. read more

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My family and I have been here a few times now and love it. The dim sum options are all so delicious. Everyone is very nice and attentive too. You will not go anywhere else once you've tried Golden Island. read more

There is an older man w/ short white hair that pushes food on you and tries to puts it on your table before you can say no. Poor customer service. If he wouldn't do that, it would be a better experience. They need to allow customers to pick and choose and not have food shoved down their throat. He needs to stay away from customers. Typical Asian mentality. read more

My first time here with my parents. It was amazing! We came for lunch and it wasn't busy at which I love since faster service. hehe! We were starving and wasn't able to take all the food photos. Everything was amazing! We ordered the black pepper steak with with snap peas, house fried rice, xiao long bao, beef buns, chicken feet and more! The the restaurant is very well-maintained, clean and smells amazing! I'm at the owner and he was also amazing and went above and beyond for me and my family. They also have great Vietnamese coffee! I love this place and I'll definitely come back again! read more

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Everything was fresh and delicious. Staff were super friendly. Every item is made in house and you can actually see them working on preparing the food. I absolutely love that they have the cart service.! read more

Golden Island - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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