Disappointing Experience and Unexpected Charges After COVID, this was our family's first time dining out together (3 people), and unfortunately, the experience was surprisingly disappointing. The total cost for our dinner came to $236.12, which included an 18% "service charge" automatically added to the bill. To make matters more confusing, the receipt then presented us with additional tip options of 5%, 10%, and 15%--on top of the $236.12, which already included the 18% service charge. This left us puzzled and uncomfortable. Here's why the experience felt especially negative: Why was there an automatic 18% service charge without any clear explanation? Why were we then prompted to tip an additional amount, when a service charge was already included? The food was overpriced relative to the taste and quality--it simply didn't match expectations, especially given the high cost. Dishes we ordered: Garlic pea vines Sautéed bitter melon with pork Sizzling abalone chicken Minced eggplant Double-boiled watercress soup with conch Two orders of steamed pot rice While the ingredients sounded appealing, the flavors were underwhelming for the price point. read more

Very good tasting dim sum. They make some of it a bit more fancy in the presentation. Overall very good quality. The only item not to my liking were the egg tarts (Dan tat), which had the pie crust outside instead of pastry crust. The rest was delicious! read more

Koi Palace - Dim Sum Near Me - Dublin, California

See all

The moment you walk in, you are greeted by a sign that says 18% automatic gratuity for any number of parties, which would be fine if service was good. Well, it wasn't. We were left wondering if half of our order would ever come and even after asking three different people, the rest of the food didn't come until we were done with our meal. No apologies, even slightly rude, just that they're busy but the people we were seated next to seemed to have multiple servers catering to them. They didn't have the same wait time. Unfair. Not worth your money or time. Lost my appetite. Go someplace else. read more

Came by for dinner the other night and it was a decent experience. Made a reservation and our table was ready upon arrival. Parking was plentiful in the private strip mall lot as well as on the street. Staff wore masks and blue nitrile gloves during dinner service. Started off with the fried oysters and pork belly clay pot which was decent. Oysters were on the small side and the clay pot itself was quite tasty. The beef cubes with scallops were decent although the scallops were on the smaller side and some of the beef cubes were rather gigantic... Flavor was great and it came with an edible garnish which was unique. The garlic snow pea tips came out as a generous portion although some of the snow peas were rather "old" and probably should have been removed for a more enjoyable dish. Last entree of the evening was their salt and pepper pork chops which was gigantic. Huge meaty pieces of pork chops in a salt and pepper batter ensured that we were stuffed by the end of dinner. Meal ended off with a few slices of oranges. ~$75/head after tax and gratuity along with a 18% mandatory service charge. read more

See all

Waited an hour to get the freaking beef chow fun. Still charge for 18 % service fee, scam!!

18% service charge is mandatory! They cannot change. I ordered 拼盘、炒牛河。both dishes are salty! And I waited for over an hour! Almost zero customer service. Never come back read more

The food is okay but pricy. The service is terrible. Our waiter wouldn't pack our dinner for us despite the eighteen percent mandatory tip fee. I would say it's quieter than the other koi palaces in Daly City and Milpitas which are much bigger. read more

I am not surprised that they were not full house by 11:45am on a Saturday, especially this is a weekend before Chinese New Year. The most reason is poor customer service and foods are average, some dim sum are below average. Only the Chicken Sticky Rice Lotus Leaf Wrap was memorable. The poor customer service started in the reception, we are party of 7, 3 people arrived first and the receptionist said all people must be there to be seated. We have 2 seniors which can't stand long and they don't have chairs in the waiting area, so unwelcome. We asked for chairs while we are waiting, but not happening within 15 mins which our party is all arrived. During the waiting period, the receptionist lets a White couple sit in first even though their whole party was not there yet. What happened here? Why Asian treated differently in Chinese restaurant. What's a joke. And our dinning experience is just so so, the sever is not attentive to clean out empty plates. End up we spent $260 including mandatory tips and tax. For this price, we can go to our restaurant to get better foods, services and ambiance. read more

Not my favorite anymore. First, their carpet looks old and dirty. They need a serious cleaning. With automatic gratuity (with 3 people), you would think you get some service. Not really. Food is the same because all they have to do with the dim sum is to thaw and steam. I usually do half and half (1/2 dim sum and 1/2 wok) read more

See all

This Koi Palace location is in the Dublin Ulferts Center. Parking is hit or miss here, as this is a pretty busy plaza, especially on weekends and weeknights. Parking was not too bad for a Sunday evening, but it was started to fill up. My family and I came here for a birthday dinner for my grandma. We reserved a couple of tables and were seated in the backend of the restaurant, so it was a bit cramped / stuffy. Food was just decent and could had been better, the only thing I really enjoyed was the soup. Overall service could had been improve, as they were not as attentive and some of the servers were a bit messy when they cleaned up & set up between dishes. They also kept moving dishes above our heads, instead to the side, which made me a bit nervous too. They tried to add 2 gratuities / tips to the bill, so double-check your bill / receipt before paying. read more

Food is good. We have always enjoyed our dim sums and dinners there. Services are adequate.

Always love the dim sum here. My favorites are the taro puff and shrimp dumplings. Chef kiss! Also always ordered the pan fried noodles with seafood. read more

We've come here a few times. Nice restaurant located on the 2nd level of the complex. Peak hours, the parking is very challenging. There are other asian restaurants if the wait here is too long. We've only had the dim sum here. It's pretty decent, but pricy. Overall, 3.5 stars. read more

We went with a group of friends and this was such a yummy experience. I've never had dim sum before but they really set the bar high. I thought I was going to be hungry after but we left so full and satisfied. We didn't get a picture of everything we ordered but would definitely recommend this place. And I would recommend going as a group so you can split and taste a little of everything. Their service was efficient and fast, we did have to follow up on a couple items since the food comes from different places. They have this cart that has the dim sum and then some food comes from the kitchen. The fried pork buns were our fav!! They were so good we didn't get a picture of them. read more

See all

Smell carpet lousy service food was OK. Price is high one night that we had dinner. We not even finished eating The guy vacuums the carpet .it was so terrible the dust and the smell came out from the vacuum. read more

Whenever I think of fun, comforting, dumpling-forward restaurants, Koi Palace comes to my mind! Koi Palace was the first place my Stepdad took me to try xiao long bao (their Daly City location). From the first bite, I fell in love and have been a huge stan of their innovative food presentations since! I've been to their Daly City and Milpitas location but tonight was the first time I dined at their Dublin location. After a day out with my Dad and friend, we chose to dine here as we're all huge fans of dumplings and wanted something light, filling, and delicious. I made reservations for our party of three on Yelp--which I highly recommend. We arrived at our reservation time, 5:30, which was when the restaurant opened. Upon arrival, we were met with customers anticipating their opening. There was already a huge crowd of people--especially groups and families. It got busier and busier as the night progressed so I highly recommend making reservations. The wait staff did a decent job juggling customers but we did have to flag them down to order, our requests, and to get water. Similar to their other locations, the restaurant was fairly spacious, nicely lit, and had ample tables available for patrons to dine at. As huge dim sum fans, we had our hearts set on dim sum. To our surprise, the dinner menu was available as well as a limited dim sum menu. Some of the items were already sold out. Unlike the traditional ordering process of marking your dishes, we verbally told the staff what we wanted. We decided on the: Sichuan Spicy Seafood Dumplings, Har Gow, Shui Mai, and Steamed BBQ Pork Buns. My favorite dish by default was the seafood dumpling as it came wrapped in spinach and filled with various seafood. I found each dumpling that I tried to be filling and delicious--but nothing impressive in flavor. I just wish the wrappers for them didn't break apart or stick so easily. Some of our dishes came out staggered and took a little time (about 30 minutes). Overall we savored each bite and left with leftovers! Koi Palace is a must for dim sum in the Bay Area! With multiple locations all throughout, it's hard to miss this staple. Their restaurant is located on the second floor of Ulferts Center. Take the escalator up and it's easy to find! Parking is free and available in the center's lot. I wouldn't mind coming back if I was invited by others but I feel like there are better options for dim sum in the Tri-Valley! read more

See all

I loovvveee koi palace. First I got sticky rice ! Here it is my favorite kind. And at the end they gave us free oranges! I LOVE KOI PALACEEE read more

Koi Palace - Stir Fried Sticky Rice and oranges - Dim Sum Near Me - Dublin, California

Koi palace is one of the very few go to dimsum spots in the tri-valley and east bay. It's always a gem to be able to eat here with family. Food is delicious but little pricey. Service is quick and they have plenty of tables and rooms since they take up half of the second floor of the plaza center. There's also plenty of parking around the plaza if you don't mind parking behind the Ulfert Center. Overall recommend if you want to go to a nice dimsum spot once in a while read more

See all

Enjoyed Mother's Day dinner here. Ordered some of our fave dishes and totally enjoyed the ambiance! The staff is attentive and helpful! Would come back again for sure!! read more

See all

This is a review for their banquet dinner: No doubt the top of the Bay Area! I was blown away by their selection of premium dishes and quality of the ingredients. Ambiance is also very festive. Please bear with the loudness and noise. When you have to yell at people on a dinner table, you know you are at the right place. Some highlights: Whole steamed fish Salted egg yolk fried crab Beef steak and scallops Roasted bbq platter Abalone with bok choy Roasted chicken Fried shrimp read more

See all

I use to visit often until there were more dim sum restaurants opening in the East Bay. imo it's a smaller location compared to other Canto restaurants. I recommend dining either before or after holidays such as Mother's Day and Lunar New Year as I've noticed a huge difference in quality of food. Also, everyday is Mother's Day ;) read more

The foods are good and fresh. The service is excellent and nice. The ambience is okay. I definitely will come back.

2 stars for the food but the service was awful. Most of the food came pretty fast. We didn't get one of our order and waited over 25 mins. We asked to cancel it because we had already finished eating but our server completely ignored our request. After about another 7-10 mins, we asked to cancel it again and then he finally went to the back and brought it out. It kinda got awkward... my husband took bite and then asked for the check. They automatically added 18% gratuity to the total. It was a party of 3 including a child read more

If you like Hong Kong casual cuisine, the cafe/bistro downstairs is the place to be. The menu has undergone some make over, much welcome. I thought I had ordered the bbq combo rice plate which it was but I didn't read the finer print for the plate included. I guess I was hopeful for roast duck, roast pork and soy sauce chicken but instead of duck, char Siu was in its place. Firstly the body sauce chicken was chopped wings and drumlet not the whole pieces. That was disappointing. Nonetheless, it tasted as it should. The roast pork with the crispy skin was the star of the combo and deservingly so. The crispy skin was all it should be with the accompanying sauce with rice, it was very good. Lastly, the char Siu was tender and moist unfortunately it was void of burnt sweet juicy fat that would have made it a big hit. It was a very sophisticated roasted char Siu and good with rice. All good and bad on my part for not reading the menu selection closer. It was enjoyable. I will always stop by for their Hong Kong fare read more

Koi Palace - Bbq combo plate - Dim Sum Near Me - Dublin, California

Terrible service!! They only treat customers they know well and would let them first even if you waited longer in line. Even the food doesn't taste good anymore, and they make you pay 18% tips even if the service was bad, no matter what. Avoid this place. read more

Went here to check out the hype, but honestly found it a bit overrated. The food was average and definitely on the pricier side. I've had better dim sum at much more affordable spots. We ordered the rainbow soup dumplings, which looked fun but tasted pretty much like regular ones--nothing special to justify the price. That said, the place is nice and has a fancy, upscale vibe. The quality of the food isn't bad by any means, just not impressive or memorable. For the cost, I expected more. It's fine if you're going for the atmosphere or experience, but for me, it wasn't worth the money. read more

I believe this place went down the drain with the management and service. Came in on Saturday at 6 PM for a family dinner with our 20 month old baby girl, were nicely greeted by the host, seated right next to him and at about 6:10 PM made an order of garlic green peas with roasted lamb riblets. After 40 minutes of waiting our little princess started to get bored and annoyed. We've asked the servant and the host about the readiness of our dishes. The reply was - almost done, five more minutes. My wife started walking our little princess around the place to keep her occupied. At about 7:00 PM I've complained one more time, and that's when the host told me that - 2 more minutes, after which he graciously disappeared. Another host in dark suite came to replace the original guy. At 7:10 PM I have requested to cancel the order and get the check. New host told us that we are free to go with no payment needed. No apologies, no excuses. Shame for the place like this to have such a poor process management. All the best, Koi Palace - Dublin. You've forever lost few customers today! read more

See all

It's been so long since we went to get dim sum! Koi palace will forever always be one of our favorite places! We like to go right when they open so we don't have to wait in a really long line. My mother likes to bring her own tea leaves, they will charge $1/person for the "tea service. Our fav things to get is the ha gow, pork ribs, chives and shrimp dumpling, fried glutinous dumpling, & baked BBQ pork buns! And we get a few more dishes like steamed beef balls, bbq pork puff, Crispy Fried Tofu Skin Wraps with Shrimp, shrimp and bbq pork rice roll! Our bill came out to 112$ for 4 people. On a special day, we like to get beef chow fun and the deep fried shrimp stuffed crab claw! read more

See all

Very tasty rice with duck and pork. It's convenient to take away the order. Good choice for weekday lunch and dinner. read more

Koi Palace - Dim Sum Near Me - Dublin, California

The veggie, prawns, squids, fried noodles all lack Wok Hey which is key for dining in Cantonese Cuisine Restaurants as it is difficult for one to get Wok Hey at home. The shrimps and squids are flavorless (same as many Asian restaurants, they must have tenderize these sea food with something --- perhaps baking soda and make them flavorless, tasteless). The fish and duck are so so --- nothing special. Plus, they mandatory added 18% service charge on top of what we ordered. that is fine. However, since service charge is mandatory, then tax amount is calculated as 10.25% x (Total order + service charge) instead of 10.25% x Total order. In the attached receipt, tax 24.55 was calculated from 239.54 instead of 203. I would not recommend this restaurant for dinner if you really want good Cantonese cuisine with Wok Hey. read more

Koi Palace - Dim Sum Near Me - Dublin, California

Delicious dim sum at dublin! Go early to avoid waiting long during the lunch rush on the weekends. We came here at 10:30am and there was no wait and plenty of parking in the parking lot. Quality is still there and the pricing is considered average now in the bay area. Service is quick and they brought out the food within 5 -10 mins of ordering. Will definitely be coming back to try out other dim sum dishes. read more

Came here to celebrate daughter in law's belated birthday lunch and son made Yelp reservations which is convenient. We had reservations at 11 am so it wasn't busy yet and we ordered off the list of items and had a big spread with shrimp dumplings, Shanghai dumplings, chicken feet, steamed black bean spareribs, turnip cake, fried taro, potstickers, and other dishes which all came out steaming or piping hot. Service was attentive and when the bill came, 18% service fee already included. , read more

See all

They charge an extra 16% for service fee that they say it's not tips but for operational costs and fair employee wages. So they want customers to pay another 15% tips on top of the 16%? I thought that's why there are prices on each dish to cover all of that. Call me cheap if you want but if I'm getting charged 16% service fee I'm not giving your ass extra for tips. A lot of restaurants are getting bold. Raising prices, giving smaller portions and making up mandatory tips and blaming it on inflation. Don't be surprise if people stop going. read more

Koi Palace - Look at this BullS***! They want to charge an extra 16% that's not considered tips and want us to give tips on top of it. - Dim Sum Near Me - Dublin, California

I love this spot for dim sum! It's been such a long time since I last came that I can barely remember what it was like. My friends and I had a reservation for a Thursday morning shortly after opening, so when we arrived we were able to get seated right away. I would highly recommend making a reservation since I heard this place does get quite busy! We were given tea, and then marked the items we wanted from the paper menu they give you. We ended up order a total of five items for three people which was the perfect amount of food. The items we got were the fish fillet rice roll, rainbow sampler shanghai dumplings, baked sugar crust bbq pork bun, pork ribs in black bean sauce, veggie and pork tofu skin wrap in oyster sauce, and the chicken with sticky rice in lotus leaf. All of the items were really good! No complaints at all. My favorites were definitely the tofu skin wraps and the bbq pork buns. Both were some of the best I've had across all of the dim sum spots I've been too. Highly recommend trying those. If you're craving some authentic dim sum in the area, come give this spot a try! Service is fast and relatively friendly (for your standard asian restaurant) and we had a great overall experience. read more

See all

I can't believe I've never heard of Koi until recently. I've been sheltered and only had dim sum in oakland! Koi is another level of deliciousness. Everything we ordered was good, except the mochi sesame pastry, which tasted very ordinary. The sticky rice in lotus leaf, and crispy fried donut rice roll (comes Hong Kong style with peanut and hosin sauce) are exceptional !! Wait isn't too bad. And def worth it. Tea is $2 per person. Bill came out to $220 after 18% gratuity for 5 people. read more

My first time coming here. It's good sign if they're a long line. It was worth the wait. We try a little of everything. I was really surprised about the special with the congee. It was a winter melon clam congee. Surprisingly I love it the best the rest of the food was amazing. It was hot and delicious. I definitely highly recommend this place it's family friendly. I love everything about this place definitely recommend it and will come again. read more

See all

I've been to koi palace so many times (both the dublin and Milpitas locations) but always leave questioning the hype. Long wait times and steep prices for mediocre dim sum. Most of the things we ordered came lukewarm, so I'm assuming they weren't fresh. We got seated in the left corner of the restaurant, so it was really hard to flag down a waitress when we needed help. **HEADS UP: they automatically charge 18% gratuity which honestly is quite shocking since the service is quite non existent read more

Koi Palace - 644. Honey Glazed Crispy Fried Chicken Wings - Dim Sum Near Me - Dublin, California

See all

Great service and very attentive waiters. Everything tasted fresh & delicious! We love their tea!

I had a terrible service from my waiter who gave a snooty comment when I asked how much longer will my food take because my 3 year old is hungry.  I was very surprised when I got an enforced 18% service fee at the end without any early notification for such poor service.  We will not be coming back again. read more

-bird nest custard egg tart [B item] -shrimp and scallop dumplings with black truffles [L item] -grilled chive and shrimp dumplings [K item] i love love loveeee dim sum and this spot has some of my favorite items like these three. a staple that i always order at a dim sum spot would be chives and shrimp dumplings-- and here at @koipalace its a hit. for the other two items - ive never heard of them at other spots so i decided to try it and also really enjoyed the filling of the shrimp and scallop dumplings with black truffle as it wasnt too heavy and had some very flavorful seasoning. when it comes to egg tarts at dim sum spots it can be a hit or miss esp with the crust - but i wanted to try something different so i ordered the bird nest custard egg tart. one thing i appreciate about this item was how creamy the custard and crust was together. and the crust wasnt too thick or heavy - making it truly a bite size . if yall are in the area of a @koipalace - make sure to check out these items!! tips: to-go and dine in are both equally as bomb, at the dublin and milpitas locations theres hella parking available, and at the dublin location theres also a koi palace expresss which is also super bomb and have similar items on their menu but more so causal dining/hong kong streeet food/quick meal items read more

See all