Controlled chaos best described the scene here on 4th of July(and on the weekends I imagine). On my Australian friend's last day in Philly I wanted to treat them to my mate's fave; Yum Cha(dim sum). This place was suggested by a nice Asian(Chinese actually) guy we met @ Philly Beer Week. He knew good beer, so we reckoned he knew good dim sum as well. He was right! There were only a handful of non-Asians dining; with many large groups. No one seemed to be in a hurry to leave. The huge room gets a bit noisy. Supposed to meet @ 11; they arrived @ 10:30 or so & snagged a table after a brief wait. By the time I got there @11:05 the place was packed! w/a line down the stairs. Our table was in the middle, very near the kitchen. Excellent spot! Carts came by every 5-10 minutes. Also servers were constantly bringing out specials on hand held trays(clams,jellyfish,fried rice,etc.) that weren't on the carts. Wasn't really a language barrier. If you point or ask they were able to tell you what the dish was. Small plates and dumplings come 3-4 per order. All the food we tried was great! The dumplings, especially the shark fin excelled. Steamed fish balls & little pork pieces(on bone in a black bean sauce) were also delicious, as were the spring rolls. A special fried pepper stuffed w/shrimp dish was very nice. Also enjoyed a chow fun noodle dish that had some kind of ground meat inside. Service, if you can call it that was fine, if a bit rude. My friend asked for a Sprite and was told they didn't have any. She said she saw some. After he copped a bit of an attitude she got a Coke. When she went out for a smoke someone came over and took her chair w/o asking. Luckily there was one next to her. Never got water; pot of tea was there when I arrived.They do have beer & alcohol. They tally up your bill as you make your choices. Small plates are $2.75 I think, and larger the ones & specials are around $5-6. For about $15-20 pp you can feast. When you bring your bill up to the counter you will be asked to choose an 18, 20 or 25% tip before you pay. I just hope that this is being passed on to the nice ladies who push the carts & the bussers. read more

So my reference point is from visiting chinatowns all over the USA including NY Chicago Houston San Fran Boston Seattle. Philly chinatown is missing Dim Sum even though a lot of restaurants put that in the name. Ocean Harbor is actually a dim sum restaurant cantonese style including the standard siu mai and ha gow and churng fun and spare ribs etc...They serve via traditional carts coming around. The atmosphere is loud and spacious just like how it should be. This is the standard for dim sum places and if you're a visitor you should check this out if looking for Cantonese Dim Sum. read more

It's traditional style of Cantonese Dim sum restaurant. A lot of choices. I will come more often. read more

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This was the best tasting dim sum I've had In awhile. Their siomai, harkow, pork spare ribs, beef dumplings and taro dumplings were all fantastic. Normally, some dishes are good and some bad and some not so bad. Everything I tried was tasty and flavorful. Definitely recommended. read more

If dim sum is your thing, Ocean Harbor's got what you need. I've always had a complex relationship with dim sum. It's ostensibly breakfast/brunch food, but has the incredible greasiness of takeout Chinese-American dinner fare. Usually, my systems aren't primed to handle that kinda thing that early in the morning, especially with the ghost of a hangover floating over my head, taunting me for my terrible Saturday night choices. That said, the food's good, plentiful, and cheap. You can get more food than you can hope to eat for about 10 bucks a head in this place. Because it's dim sum, and because it's Ocean Harbor, you're gonna have to be really pro-active in waving cart-pushers over to your table. Don't be afraid. Make eye contact. Wave her over. Ask for her number. And maybe some chicken feet. This place is old school Chinatown, so expect lots of people, a pleasantly buzzing atmosphere, and really gaudy interior design choices. Pro-tip: If you want water, you're gonna have to wave over a server. Also, they have dim sum on Saturday mornings, too, which from my understanding is a lot less busy than their Sunday rush. Still pretty busy, though. read more

While Ocean Harbor's food is forgettable, the service is not. But in a bad way. The food is generally pretty authentic, but it's all passable. Nothing stands out. The selection is pretty limited, and the same carts go around and around. I don't think I have ever been able to find soup dumplings here, which are my favorite dim sum dish... I almost gave up on dim sum in Chinatown before I discovered Dim Sum Garden (and I hear Sakura is also excellent). The peking duck is rather overpriced, but everything else is a bit above reasonable dim sum prices--for the quality, at least. The service is terrible. They're not attentive, and they don't really try to be nice to you. It's pretty decently decorated compared to other dim sum places in Chinatown. It's spacious with lots of tables and almost brings me back to ballrooms for Chinese weddings. read more

Quick staple dim sum. Service is typical hostile Chinese. But it's a legit dim sum place

Half of my family is from Hong Kong, so it's probably worth something that we come here ALL THE TIME for both dimsum and family dinner. We used to frequent other restaurants in the city but became pretty dedicated to Ocean Harbor because of service issues (being rushed out of other restaurants). Food is consistent. Definitely on the greasier side but not overly so. Honestly, I haven't checked out any of the newer dim sum restaurants that seem to cater to the younger generations so I can't compare. But the dishes are deliciously salty and greasy. Just a tip: Its going to be absolutely bonkers crazy if you come to dim sum on a Sunday and you aren't used to it. If you want dim sum in peace and quiet, come during a week day closer to 11. read more

The dim sum is decent and I think it's the best in the area. It's the traditional push carts that go around each table. The chicken feet, shrimp dumpling, wonton dumpling, pork ribs and thin rice noodle layered with shrimp are my go too. read more

The food and overall experience here is pretty average. Service here is slow and a little abrasive, which is why I'm allotting a lower score. The dim sum comes around on carts and your party must decide what to select, giving you the opportunity to sample a variety of new dishes. Food suggestion: Go for the shrimp dumplings and egg tarts when they come around. read more

Food was okay, not much variety though. There were things in the carts that were sort of hidden so I wasn't sure what everything was. Didn't see any soup dumplings or mango pudding which are always a fave at dim sum. Liked the fried rice despite it being cold by the time I got it--have never seen that at dim sum. read more

Wanted a push cart dim sum place and this was one of the two options we settled on. Waited in line for about 20 minutes and were seated at a small table. The carts came around frequently and the variety of dim sum options was plentiful. The only complaint I have is that the dishes that came around to tables that weren't on carts (eg, turnip cakes, pan fried dumplings) were cold by the time they reached the table. read more

Not impressed, but it was decent. It's a small place, and if you have 3 or less people you might want to consider sharing a table vs. waiting forever to get a table. 1) Shrimp Dumplings Haw Gau (I had better and they use small pieces of shrimp vs. 1 larger one) 2) Pork Buns, Cha Siu Bao (okay) 3) Shanghai Dumplings- good 4) Chinese Broccoli- Choy (how do you mess this up) 5)Fried Rice Balls with Red Bean (Greasy) 6) Clams in Black Bean Sauce (not bad) 7) Congee with pork/Black Eggs (Actually, this was the best thing on the carts( 8) There must of been other things? All and all- it's doable if everything else is packed. read more

Packed, I'm giving it 4 stars because the patrons KEEP coming back. Luckily I went before 11 so that helped. By 12, expect a wait. At the same time, you know what that means when you have to wait esp for a HUUUUGE restaurant such as this. This is worth a try on a weekend if you can make it early OR if you can wait. The dim sum dishes were all pretty standard, some were better than the others.. but if you want the philly dimsum experience, I believe this is the most popular joint in that part of town. So go for it! Have some tea and dimsum. What I noticed was that the carts were being refilled constantly... at which I immediately ask for the ones fresh out of the kitchen, still steaming hot.. . usually the ladies will give those to you first thing.. but just in case they don't, you can request for it with a point of a finger (but please don't make a scene.. i mean if they don't give it to you, dont get upset now. haha it's not the end of the world.) Also, the dimsum approach is sort of a distraction from a heavy Brunch with pancakes/waffles/french toast... this was my way of just getting something different just for once. YUUUPPP!! read more

One of the best dimsum places in philly. Come before 11am to avoid long lines but there will probably still be lines. If there's huge lines I suggest going to south philly, wakano. This is my other go to dim sum spot place. Service is pretty good (if you speak canto which I don't but good thing I have friends who do) and it's a good family spot on saturday and sunday! read more

Ocean Harbor is one of the dim sum places that I frequent with friends and family. They seem to have the biggest variety of dim sum. The only downside is that this place is packed on the weekends. Prepare to wait for your number to be called. Service is chaotic with the amount of inflow and outflow of people. It definitely helps if you speak Chinese. Dinner service is better since it is less crowded. One of the servers was really sweet and let my dad pick out his own fish (or maybe she was flirting with him!!). Food doesn't really stand out though and pretty much taste like any other place. read more

Ocean Harbor - Fishie! - Dim Sum Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Great food with lots of different options. The servers were also super helpful at navigating the menu.

Visited Philly Chinatown for a little bit as I was driving home from NY back to DC area and I was craving dim sum. I was walking around and saw lots of Chinese people exiting the restaurant, so that prompted me to go in and take a look. As soon as I walked in, I knew this was the place I wanted to eat that day. Workers are pushing around dim sum carts like they did in the past (traditional style) and the restaurant wasn't too packed (around 12:30 pm on Sunday). Shu mai was good but large, sticky rice was alright, egg tarts was great, shrimp har gao was not bad either. Also ordered beef chow fun and that was tasty. It was a huge portion, but it was slightly too wet, but wasn't too big of an issue. Next time I come back to Philly Chinatown, I'm definitely taking a stop for dim sum at Ocean Harbor. read more

Ocean Harbor - Dim Sum Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My favorite dim sum place in Philadelphia! You need to have an adventurous mindset and be willing to taste everything. The staff you may feel are a little aggressive but that's a cultural difference. There carts with small portions of food on it and you tell them which one you want from the cart as they come around. So sometimes if your timing is unlucky it may take a few until your favorite dish comes around. read more

Ocean Harbor - Dim Sum Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

First time in Philadelphia chinatown and this seemed like the place to go for authentic dim sum given all the choices. The restaurant was relatively busy for a Friday morning, so I can only imagine how it must be on a Saturday or Sunday. Seating was fast as well as the food. They push carts here giving the authentic experience, but we were also able to order other dim sum dishes from the kitchen that were not on the carts. Was pleasantly surprised by the price, 8 dishes cost around $27. Overall, not the best dim sum place i've been to in terms of taste or quality, but given the low cost would probably come back. read more

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food is okay there, but service is so bad, no waitress come to help until we call numerous time, and ask high tips after we finished eating, especially she made up and lie for how much we spent in total, trying to trick us for tips until my brother come back tell me the extract amount. they deserve nothing but my brother still gave them excess tips read more

If you want to go to a place where an angry auntie yells at you for requesting a simple service as simple as getting water, you came to the right place. First of all, the chaotic and hectic service and wait, more than 30 minutes my friends and I couldn't get a table, despite seeing random people just walking past us and getting one. When we sat down, this auntie yelled at my face and told me to order something from the menu 100 times despite the fact i told her I am waiting for the cart. Not to mention jn the end, after the harsh treatment which left my friends and I unhappy, I give them 5 dollars tip. She stormed to my table and started yelling and cursing me in Chinese. Calling my mothers name right in front of other customers. If you want a service like this, you came to the right place. Will never go back to here again. read more

I've had dim sum here several times over the years usually on weekend afternoons when the dim sum carts circulate freely with delicious hot fresh food. For dim sum I highly recommend this clean place with uniformly good service. A few days ago I visited and the carts were parked somewhere out back. I ordered eggplant and scallops in some spicy concoction the waiter warned me was very spicy. Guess I get no cred for being able to read the menu and note that the dish was in red for some reason. Commie food I guess Well the dish came along with an order of delicious shrimp dumplings. The eggplant and scallops were in a gloppy and basically tasteless sauce, the scallops were generous in number but didn't taste very fresh. Without question the dim sum here is quite good, however from my single non dim sum experience give the place a wide berth when the carts are parked. For folks mobility impaired be warned there are 8 or 10 broad steps from the street to the dining room. The bathrooms? Down those steps then some more to the basement. Not wheelchair accessible or good for mobility impaired folks. They take cards and Apple Pay. read more

It was a very bad experience what never happened, the food fake and service was horrible, this restaurant is a big shame for the negative 100 service . Service ladies call my names in Cantonese, make fun of my chienglish and the lady in the front desk was a joke . Big shame!!! read more

Food was decent, I wont lie. But the only time they came up to us was to ask for the tip I had to call them out for water or any food what so ever. They completely ignored us. read more

I heard really positive things from two of my friends who visit Philly often, and even though we saw that Dim Sum Garden and Ocean Harbor both had glowing reviews on Google Maps, we went with ocean harbor because of the recs and quicker wait times. They seemed to have set up a table last minute for the four of us right in front of the waiting area, which made it difficult for the staff to roll the food carts near us, and constantly trying to get their attention for water or different dishes. I think it was bad luck with the poor seating but the waiters were nice overall and did bring us more tea/water when asked. They didn't have soup dumplings which we were bummed about but the options were mostly pork/shrimp, so we ordered a plate of baby bok choy but took 20 mins to come out. We had also ordered pan fried chive dumplings and it never came out.. and since we were eating very infrequently with the lack of food carts coming by, we got pretty full so we just told them we don't want the pan fried chive dumplings anymore. I probably wouldn't go back here - it was jUst ok. read more

A bunch of us Asian folks (originally from Asia) have voted that this is the best place to get Dimsum in Philadelphia. For dimsum lunch, they push carts around and you just pick what you want to eat. All great options, big variety, tasty. Service is not too great because the staffs don't speak too much English (and we don't speak Chinese) but that doesn't matter because you can just point to what looks good on the cart and they'll mark it on your bill. Not too pricey, either. We usually end up paying around 20$ per person. Definitely recommended for dimsum. They don't serve dimsum for dinner I think. read more

This place has gone down gradually. The dim sum is cold the variety is limited and service is chaotic. You have no clue what they are charging you other than circles and squares on the cards. When you are paying bill if you questio the charges you get a rude response. They insist on a 18 percent tip. This restaurant is a scam. With two large dim sum places out of business. This place is taking undue advantage of patrons. It's not very clean either. Next time we are going to an a la carte dim sum place across from ocean harbor. Beware. read more

Came here on a sat. after 12pm. Food was subpar, nothing special. Food were being left out on tables getting cold instead of being offered around the resturant. Carts were on standby in the middle. read more

This review is only based on the dim sum offering on weekends. I've not eaten here during the week off their regular menu. Three stars in not bad in this case. If I were to rate the place on food alone it would be a high 4 or even a low 5. The shear number of choices will guarantee you will find something that you like. In my case though it's more like 10 somethings that I like. Fried calamari (mostly legs) is one of my favorites since when I'm eating calamari I usually wish there were more crunchy tentacles:). The beef short ribs r also amazing, tender, and just fatty enough to give you that coat your stomach with yumminess feeling that comes with great chines food. Other fan favorites are the shrimp dumplings Shu mai. They even have a few things that are vegetarian. And yes this is much better, as in on another planet better, than those you might find at a buffet. So in a nutshell the food is fantastic. Everything else however usually leaves a lot to be desired. The restaurant is "cleanish" but you can tell everything has a lot of miles on it. The staff will acknowledge your presence only if you ask them to bring you something and not a second more. They do not care if you are enjoying your food, they know you are since the food is absolutely amazing. One pro tip, go before 11. No mater what time of year this place usually has a line out the door between 1115-130. read more

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Came here on a Saturday at around 10:30 am. It was relatively full, but we were able to get a table for 2 immediately. Before we even got our tea, the lady with one of the carts already started to offer us food. No complaints! We ordered quite a bit for two people (char siu bao, beef short ribs, shrimp rice roll, rice roll with fried dough, lotus leaf sticky rice, har gow, shumai, tripe, and tofu skin with stuffing). Although not mindblowing, everything was good; we were stuffed by the end of it and the total came out to be around $32. Not a bad price! Overall, I would be back again if there is no wait. They didn't have one of my faves (durian pastry) so that was a bummer! read more

terrible service standing there and chatting to each other without service and ask for 18% tips , I will never come back to this place

This will definitely become my go-to dim sum spot! The only reason this place has 3 stars is because everyone is dragging it down for service. Let's be honest - if you're looking for the most authentic dim sum, there are many places where the service leaves something to be desired. But as long as your expectations are correctly set and your priority is on great food, then you can't go wrong with Ocean Harbor. I came on a Saturday around 11:30am with 11 other people and we were pleasantly surprised to be seated within 15 minutes. The food came at us quickly, which was great because we were hungry. We ended up ordering about 30 dishes and only paying $13 per person. Every single one of us was stuffed!! The highlights for me were the porridge (I always get porridge at dim sum places and this place had the best porridge I've had - that's saying a lot considering I grew up in the Bay Area where there's lots of dim sum options) and the egg tarts. Usually Chinese bakeries are where you'd find the best egg tarts, so I was surprised that a dim sum place made such delicious ones! We'll definitely be back. read more

Decided to give this place a chance due to decent yelp reviews but I was very disappointed with the food. It was very bland and tasteless like many other yelpers have mentioned. The icing on the cake was how terrible the service was here. We were seated in the corner next to a dirty dish cart and our table along with three others, barely got to order any food. It took us almost 30 minutes and 3 waiters to just get water; and each waiter scowled at us when we tried to call them. At the end, we decided not to tip because of how shitty the service was and the waiter had the audacity to get mad and yell at us for not tipping. Even so following us to the stairs to tell us that WE HAVE TO TIP. You're better off buying frozen pre-made dim sum from the local supermarket, at least you wouldn't have to deal with a screaming waiter. read more

man this is the shittiest dum sum place I ever been to. The service was bad, the food wasn't all that good, and they barely had any options pushing around in the cart. Last time I recall, dim sum is a place where mini portions of food gets pushed around in a cart. nope, not here at ocean harbor. we have to order for what we want, what? Man never again read more

Ocean Harbor - Slimey and disgusting - Dim Sum Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I do not know why this restaurant doesn't have 5 stars or at least 4. This is a staple in the Chinatown community. Tell me somewhere else to eat for dim sum and I might judge you. They actually own Tom's too which I know other people go to but if you want a true, quality, and authentic experience of a family dim sum place, this is your place. They have the traditional clothed tables with the carts being pushed around. They also have tea typically served and make sure to tell them if you want the tea or not or there will be an upcharge as usual. I do not know what to recommend since it's in a different language and I cannot be bothered to translate but if it looks good on the cart while its passing or smells good, just get it. They take card but try to bring cash. They have wonderful service there and if there's something that you want that's NOT on the cart, just ask and they'll try to make it work. Everyone is masked and its clean! They can support large groups as well read more

This is one of the worst dim sum places I've ever been to. Took about 15 minutes for them to bring out the tea. The cheung fan we got barely had any sauce and was steamed for way too long. The baozi tasted just like the frozen ones you buy at the store, and the waitstaff was incredibly rude, spilling some of our shu mai on the table and then walking away like nothing happened. The only redeeming thing in this restaurant were the liu sha bao. read more

Definitely the best dim sum place in Chinatown so far that I had! Their selection is huge. We happened to sit closest to the kitchen door and got to see all the fresh made dim sum food coming out of the kitchen! That was fabulous! Their food is also very delicious. The cream custard bun and egg tart are so far the favorite of myself and my friend. The fried taro and dumplings with port and peanuts were just okay though... we'll definitely come back! read more

Ocean Harbor - Dim Sum Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

It's not very good. My friend told me here is delicious and cheaper than Canton 11 so I was here to check. Don't like it, waitresses were rude as the typical China town guys and this place looks not very clean. read more

Ocean Harbor - Too full - Dim Sum Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

It's not just horrible service, the people who work there are actually mean! It's places like this that gives Chinese restaurant service a bad rep. It's def not worth it to raise your blood pressure over mediocre dimsum! My friends and I went there earlier today, and we paid with credit card at the front desk and left a 20% tip on the card. As we were wrapping up and getting ready to leave, the waitress actually came to yell at us to insist that we must also leave a cash tip at the table. I explained to her that we had left a tip on the card, and she gave me a dirty look and walked away. At this point, I thought "ok, this is incredibly rude," but we shrugged it off. Just as soon as we walked out of the door, the manager ran out after us and angrily told us that our tip was too small. At this point, I was pretty ticked but kept my composure and told him (in Chinese, I'm bilingual, baby) that tips are kinda optional and attitudes like that deserve no tip. He actually retorted "who the hell told you that?" and put his hand in my face. I'm just pissed that I didn't go back after him and tear up the receipt. (Ok, I am sensitive to the fact that dim sum halls can get busy and that service can be shoddy when an establishment gets packed and servers are overworked--that's one thing. But there are also plenty of places that have bare-bones services but not managers who you down to insult you AFTER you have left a 20% tip on your card! We really shouldn't make excuses for jerky behaviors). read more