Pearl Bay has always been a solid local spot, but their recent remodel and revamped menu have completely elevated the entire dining experience. My group and I stopped by recently for morning dim sum, and we were incredibly impressed by the changes. The Atmosphere & Vibes The modern, newly remodeled interior looks fantastic. The space feels much brighter, cleaner, and more upscale than before, making it a wonderful environment for everything from a casual family breakfast to a larger celebratory gathering. They've managed to create a contemporary look while keeping the welcoming energy alive. The Food: A Noticeable Step Up While the new decor is great, the real star of the show is the improved flavor and quality of the dim sum. You can tell they've refined their recipes and perhaps brought in some fresh culinary talent. Here were the standouts from our meal: Baked BBQ Pork Buns (Cha Siu Bao): Absolute perfection. The tops had that ideal, sweet, crumbly crust, and the pork filling was savory, rich, and not overly gelatinous. Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow): A true test of any dim sum kitchen. The skins were perfectly translucent and delicate without tearing, packed with plump, snappy shrimp that tasted incredibly fresh. Siu Mai: Flavorful, juicy, and well-seasoned. The texture was spot-on--not dense or heavy. Egg Tarts (Dan Tat): The puff pastry was beautifully laminated and flaky, holding a perfectly smooth, warm, and subtly sweet egg custard. Service & Value Despite the upgraded ambiance and food quality, the service remains efficient and attentive. Teas were kept hot and refilled promptly, and the dishes arrived fresh and steaming from the kitchen. read more

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Came here to celebrate a birthday with my friends, but was immedietly met with some challenges. First of all, my group doesn't speak fluent Chinese. So what happened when my friend spoke one to the host? She laughed in her face. We got our food fast, but it was only decent. They also missed a couple items we marked on the menu. And the waiter who was wearing something different from the rest was VERY dismissive when they ran out of a certain item and when we tried to ask some questions. Overall it was a really bad experience for me and my friends which is crazy because they weren't always so bad! read more

I am extremely disappointed with the service we received. The older woman with short hair was very rude and made us feel rushed to finish our meal, even though the restaurant was far from busy and there were at least 11 empty tables available. In contrast, the young man who assisted us provided excellent customer service and was polite and welcoming. He made our experience much more pleasant. I hope management will address this issue and provide additional customer service training where needed. The difference in service between the staff members was very noticeable. read more

The newly renovated San Leandro Pearl Bay Tea House word is obviously out because my parents and I knew better to line up early, and even with this, I stood in line in a position that was halfway to the Sang Chong market next door already! 9:00am hit, the doors opened, and it was like how Black Friday door busting used to be! The restaurant PACKED UP SUPER QUICK! The new colors and chandeliers really make the ambiance fancier than the previous restaurant. They even have a private VIP room in the back. My family and I did notice that the carpets did not look new, and looked like they hadn't been cleaned, which confused us because of the grand re-opening and renovations done. Everything we ordered was absolutely delish dim sum. Their congee with century egg and chicken is packed with flavor! I enjoyed this for a few more days after as leftovers! I gave four stars though, because service was slow, unorganized, and if we hadn't called attention to the manager and servers, we might have needed to wait even longer for our food orders to go in and be served. Our combination rice noodles plate took over one hour and it took us asking one of the managers what happened to our noodle dish, as it had been over one hour, and was the last item to be crossed off our orders list,l. We told the manager we could just cancel it since we were full from dim sum. The manager hurried to the kitchen, then back to our table with the rice noodles dish in hand. We have dined in this Pearl Bay location for years, especially because of the dim sum and regular dinner and lunch menus, so we hope that with more staffing and organization, service will improve over time. read more

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Came back after they renovated the place. The place is really nice, updated and modern. However dim sum not so great. Dim sum is made to order. Order on piece of paper and once submitted, the orders came out pretty fast. We had the shrimp rice roll, it was ok, the soy sauce was off, easy sweet enough. The chicken feet was not tender enough. The beef stew over rice rolls, the sauce was weird. The shrimp dumplings were the only thing that was left. Beef chow fun was missing seasoning even the turnip cake was not seasoned well. Maybe in time they will get better after their renovation. read more

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Reopened! The weekend customers are super loyal and by 10:30 AM, the place was pretty full. We were so excited, we over ordered! Food is the same - still great! The remodel resulted in a bright restaurant but all of round tables makes it a little hard to walk around. read more

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The pan fried house special noodle with seafood was amazing. Durian rolls, rice noodle rolls, sui mai - was all good. I still can't get over the noodles, it was such a good portion and had so much that if I just got that and no dim sum, it would've been totally fine. It had vegetables , seafood, and combination textures of crunchiness plus softness in the noodles. Service was alright overall, it was very busy so we had to try hard to get server attention. There were 4 plates to seat 4 folks but only 3 napkins at our table too, that was a letdown. The speed of food coming out was good as a whole though - we got about 8 items with 1 being a big plate that took the longest. If you're coming on weekends or holidays, be sure to get there before or by opening time. Otherwise you'll have a challenging time getting good parking. read more

I never want to come back here again. They give you numbers but only call out the numbers in Chinese. We are not Chinese, nor were several other (unrelated) waiting people. We missed our table because we didn't know that our number was called and had to wait an additional 30 minutes on top of the 45 minutes we had already been waiting. I wanted to just leave but felt bad for my parents who had already waited so long. I didn't want them to think they completely wasted their time for nothing. We saw at least two other families complaining that they didn't know they were called either because they don't understand Chinese. Even though several people brought this up to the hostess, she still continued to only speak Chinese. We finally sat and weren't acknowledged for a good 5 minutes. The food was mediocre and they give you ice water in really short glasses. My husband asked for a refill 3 times and the server rolled her eyes at him after the 3rd time and finally sat a pitcher of water down at the table. The steamed meat balls had a gummy texture, the egg custard inside the pineapple bun was gritty and not smooth, pork spare ribs had no flavor, the chow mein was dry asf... We came here twice before the remodel and remember liking the food and service but both have gone downhill. The wait is not worth it. read more

Our party of six arrived at the restaurant to find that only a few tables were occupied. Upon arrival, the front desk staff was not particularly welcoming and attempted to seat us at a table directly next to the entrance on a cold, windy day. We politely requested a table farther inside the restaurant. After being seated, we waited approximately 5-7 minutes without being greeted. No menus were provided, nor were we given information about a QR code or any other way to view the menu. Eventually, a waitress approached our table and informed us that the table we were seated at was reserved and that we would need to move back to the table near the entrance. We explained that the area by the door was cold and windy and asked whether another table might be available. We were told, in what felt like a cold and unfriendly manner, that all of the other tables had been reserved. At that point, our group decided to leave, as it seemed there was no suitable seating available. This information would have been helpful to know before we were seated. As we were leaving, the waitress reached out and grabbed my daughter's arm to tell her that another table could be arranged. By then, most of our party had already exited the restaurant. The experience left us feeling unwelcome and disappointed due to the lack of communication, hospitality, and overall customer service. read more

No walk in? Need reservation, even it's by reservations only they need to leave a few table for walk in. Bad business practice. That was last Saturday evening, just because they are new it's not a good business practice. We live in the neighborhood it's really sad, sad. read more

Traditional Chinese food served family style in classic set meals or a la carte. This little gem doesn't look like much from the outside but sure does pack a punch of a meal during dinner service fit for even a banquet style party. Dim sum is also offered during brunch if you happen to be looking for a spot but we haven't had a chance to try it yet but from this first experience, it's very likely it'll happen in the near future! Squeezed in a mall hosting a huge, largely vacant parking lot, Pearl Bay Tea House welcomes you in through their tiny doors to dine in their decently sized ballroom spread with medium to large tables available to parties larger than 10. If you're coming with a larger party, you definitely should consider making a reservation. Dimly lit but spacious, you'll find yourself flooded with sounds from patrons at surrounding tables once the peak rush arrives. With their own tanks of live seafood, your meal has got to include something from their catch! You'll have a variety including fish, lobster, shrimp and clams and have a few options of cooking styles to satisfy your craving of the day. We ended up getting a fish cooked two ways, soup and sautéed with vegetables, as well as lobster smothered in garlic sauce. In addition to the seafood, we ordered some vegetarian dishes which were cooked perfectly with just the right amount of seasoning and sauces to elevate the natural flavors of the earth-grown ingredients. A popular dish, the roasted quail, was also something we ended up trying and it was exquisite. The meat was tender, seasoned well, and roasted perfectly. Each quarter bird was packed with protein and the thin bones were easy to pick out. All the dishes are meant to be consumed family-style and the big portions will surely feed a table of at least eight. The prices are reasonable and when the tab is split per person, the average cost of the meal given its portions, quality, and variety, make this meal a great value. Not only was the food delicious, the staff were also pretty good with their hospitality and timeliness when the restaurant was a bit more quiet. However, when the rush started to get a bit hectic, there was a significant drop off in service and as you get closer to the end of your meal, it almost felt like they downright ignore your table until you leave so they can turn it around for another customer. For example, one of our party members went to use the restroom just a bit after dessert was served and one of the staff members came up and asked if we were still using their chair, despite seeing the rest of our party still comfortably seated and enjoying the rest of our meal. It was a bit of a surprise. For language immersion, most of the staff speak both Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese so if you're a native speaker or a learner, you'll have plenty of opportunities to connect in the spoken language. The menus are also typed up in Chinese (and English) so you'll have a chance to brush up your word recognition as well. Overall, Pearl Bay Tea House checks all the boxes for a classic Chinese seafood restaurant albeit a bit aged with its furnishings. They could use some remodeling to spruce up the interior and exterior to bring some glamour to match its solid food preparation. You'll find the classic dishes meant to be comfort food as well as some with a bit more flare and freshness. Come in expecting a midrange seafood restaurant and you'll be thoroughly satisfied and I'm sure with a few changes, they can certainly elevate themselves to the ridge of a high end banquet hall! read more

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They've reopened! The decorations look beautiful. Their hours are 9AM-3PM and 5PM-9:30PM. read more

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Terrible food and service, super wrong charge on the payment receipt. Wrong charge items and surcharge for seating tea fee read more

Pearl Bay Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Leandro, California

Unfortunately this spot is closed!! So sad as this used to be my go to spot for dim sum in the San Leandro area. Not sure if they have plans to reopen, but Google says they are permanently closed. read more

Had I known that I was going to be having Dim Sum for lunch, I may have opted to skip breakfast. Typically, for the two of us, we order six small and one large dish. Today, we ordered four small and one large. In case you're wondering, yes, we always end up with leftovers. We not pigs! We arrived around 11:15 on a weekday morning. The restaurant was about 1/2 full when we walked in. We were immediately greeted and taken to a table. I ordered our tea (Gook Bo), and we set forth to look over the menu. Since I wasn't particularly hungry, I ordered just the Minced Pork and Egg Rice Roll - 4 - It was okay. The egg was tasty but the pork was somewhat bland. The sweet soy sauce saved the dish. The rest of our meal was up to the boss. She ordered: Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce - 5 - Tender, fatty pork in black bean sauce. This is a staple dish at Dim Sum. Deep Fried Shrimp Balls - 5 - Probably a mixture of Shrimp Paste and Fish Paste, formed into a ball, battered and deep fried. Often served with either a Mayo Sauce or Sweet and Sour Sauce. Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Steamed Chicken Roll - She gives it a 4; I give it a 2. Never was quite able to figure out what all was in it. The textures were odd to me. Singapore Style Rice Noodle - 3 - Not nearly enough Curry flavor to this dish and somewhat on the dry side. More bean sprouts and onions may have helped it. Overall, the service was okay. We weren't there that long with only five dishes. The first four was served pretty quickly and hot. We had maybe a 15-minute wait after the fourth dish before I finally waved down a server and asked where our fifth dish was. She went to the kitchen to check, and it was delivered about five minutes later. It is our belief that the kitchen had somehow missed it and only fired it when the server went to check on it. The restaurant was full when we left with several people waiting for a table. read more

Used to go here but since they've reopened their service has gone way down hill. They don't even acknowledge you are there when you enter the restaurant. Service is slow and disorganized and on occasion they forget your order. Won't come back until they get better organization. read more

Yummy dim sum! They had all the classics, as well as a bunch of other different dishes, and everything was good. Dishes came out promptly after ordering in small groups, so we were able to finish up some plates in time to make room for more on our small table. The staff was also attentive and friendly. Would recommend and we'll defo be back! read more

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Very disorganized. Glad they are open again. But service is very slow. Hostesses are at loss at how to deal with so many patrons...you wait on the line with a ticket, and they will seat their friends without a ticket? Really? Although they remodeled and it is cleaner, brighter, and they even added private rooms . Unfortunately the lack of servers and kitchen may also be overwhelmed with so many orders...is causing this bad review. I always enjoyed their food...(service was always negligent) but is not worth the drive and the stress for a dinner...prices also have increased... read more

Made reservations day before mother day and they claimed no reservation under my name. This's super unacceptable.

A lot of variety of Chinese dishes. Some of them were pretty good like the lobster noodles & fried chicken. A few were just okay and some I didn't even try because there was so many dishes. Service was good. We came due to an unfortunate event, my friend's father passed away and they had reservations for here after the funeral. We had a lot of tables, maybe 6 or so? We also came early so they were still setting up tables. The food came out fairly quick. Our waters were refilled on a timely matter too. Plenty of boxes and bags for leftovers! read more

2nd time visiting and we are already thinking about our third visit. Great variety on their menu with reasonable prices. Just wish they had a smaller version of their porridge but other than that I have no complaints with what they offer. read more

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They are back and stronger than ever with an expanded dining room! You can tell with the parking lot so full. read more

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My family and I have been here for many years, as it has been our go to family style restaurant. This is the place for large groups like families but it is possible to have a small group as well. The food is tasty, nothing to pinpoint. Though, this time we ordered a set meal, the portions are a lot larger. I definitely loved the sea cucumber, mushroom beef, scallops and lobster (some were not pictured cuz we were hungry xD) Service was attentive and prompt. They do not pre-charge a service fee. read more

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Came here on a random Wednesday for a lunch with family friends. Surprised how popping it was at first bad when the food came out one after the other in a constant timely manner, I can see why it's so popular. The decor is pretty average for these Cantonese banquet style restaurant with the live fish tanks in the back. The seating arrangement can be small if you are larger person. So be ready to be a bit tight with your company elbow to elbow. The food is def the highlight. The lobster chow fun was among the top things my family raved about. I like the squab - flavorful and slight gamy taste to it. The bill came out to be less than $300 with tips for over 10 ppl and there was plenty left for takeout. Def give it a try. Some dishes were a tad bit oily but it's old school. read more

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Placed Togo order at 11:09 and was told to be ready in 40 mins. Arrived at 11:55 and was told the orders ready but since there is only one staff packing Togo will take a little longer. 12:16 I am still waiting my order to be packed. Another lady who is also waiting for her order is more terrible. She said she was dining in and added on some Togo order. She said she doesn't want to occupy the table for too long because there are too many ppl waiting for table. She decided to pay first and she has been also waiting for an order. She should stay at her table she can definitely get her Togo faster This place is ridiculous! No wonder no business and need to do dinner special read more

I've been here a few times. They have ample parking since it's in a plaza with a grocery store next door. It gets pretty busy, but it is pretty big inside. Most of the staff do not speak English very well, but this is to be expected. However, the quality of food and pricing are worth it in my opinion. I absolutely love their Egg Yolk Custard Bun. This is the best i've ever had and it makes my mouth water every time I start thinking about it. This is a MUST TRY. These are the items we ordered: Har Gow (5/5) and Shu Mai (5/5): These were delicious! Can't go wrong with the staples ! Chicken Feet with black bean sauce (4/5): Beef tripe(3/5): I'm not a fan of tripe so i barely ate this dish. My family thought it was okay. This wouldn't be something I ordered again. Salt and Pepper Tofu (4/5: I'm not a huge fan of tofu, but these were pretty good. They were seasoned very well. Home Style Chow Fun (4/5): These were good, very flavorful. I just wish there was more noodle Salted Fish Fried Rice (4/5): This was good, but a bit salty. Hence the name Steamed Rice Noodle with Shrimp (5/5): This is one of my favs. I always love the rice noodles with shrimp, chives or pork inside. read more

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We weren't able to eat here because the line was so long. Their system of calling out numbers was challenging because they didn't come outside to call the number and it was difficult to hear if you weren't inside. We waited for 40 mins and decided to go elsewhere in the complex. Fortunately there are quite a few places to choose from. The mall has been redone and looks so much better and updated. read more

Based on food quality, this is where you want to be.There were a couple of misses but I was pretty satisfied overall. Their service wasn't the greatest as it was super busy but that's pretty standard for these restaurants. The decor is similar and pretty neat. This place was super busy so I recommend not only getting a reservation but also ordering ahead of time. read more

Such a good spot for dim sum! Their menu items are so authentic and cooked perfectly. Their chicken feet has such good flavor and there is so much meat on the bones. The siu mai and short ribs is so tender and flavorful. read more

Pearl Bay Tea House - chicken feet siu mai and short rib - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Leandro, California

They reopened after renovation so I was excited to try. Ordered two items: house soy sauce chicken and peking pork chop. Chicken meat is rubbery, pork chop is tough to chew. Disappointing. read more

Siu Mai amazing, with the most softest meat, nice pieces of shrimp, just enough fish eggs, and no cartilage to stop the chew. The Har Gow had a little too hard shell, probably sitting in steamer too long, but good enough shrimp. The pork riblets had a little too much garlic for standard smell, but I liked it. There was more, but that should be enough for you to decide if you want to try it. The atmosphere is lots of loud cantonese people trying to get the best table and order stuff not too sweet and not too spicy. That means no white pepper, no soy sauce, no pot of chili sauce... nothing but a small blank table to eat at. They do have about 8 x big 8 person tables, and 10 x 4 people table that barely fits 2 people and all of the dim sum they can eat, and the 10 x 2 seater tables where mostly you see 1 person ordering 8 dim sum items and no space for their teapot. Be ready to wait once it fills up, and a 1130am on a Tuesday still filled up and stayed full with 20 people waiting outside at 1230pm when our check was plopped down to hint, "get out", but nicely because we ordered so much. Parking is a typical asian super market plaza, most of the time your are circling behind slow drivers, and the spaces are not large and not enough if there is a decent restaurant, which this is it. Yes, come back if nearby, not worth the drive if you are fremont and south or alameda and north, or danville and east. I will come back for the Siu Mai. read more

Not sure why such low star rating at time of this posting. Went at 2pm on a Sat with no wait. Quick and efficient service. I don't think every staff member speaks English, but enough do that it's not a problem. You order dim sum off a menu which includes color pictures of most items as it seems carts are mostly gone post-covid. Won't blow your mind, but good taste at a good price. Solid 4 stars and worth returning to. read more

This spot has a lot of options and has all the classics. I love that their "lava egg yolk bun" has a pineapple bun exterior. Service was good and the food came out steadily. You can't go wrong coming here for a weekend "yum cha" with the family. read more

Pearl Bay Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Leandro, California

We're thinking of having a Chinese New Year dinner for our family and wanted to get a dinner menu but the workers said they didn't have one we could take home, only the banquet menu on their door. So we decided to come here early at 5:30 pm on a Saturday night before the crowds to check out the menu. So I've taken pictures of one of the dinner menus with pictures and there's also another menu with tons of pages but no pictures and no order or organization so I didn't take a photo. We ordered the melon soup, steamed tofu stuffed with shrimp, chicken chow mein with crispy noodles, spinach with minced pork and mushrooms, braised rock cod and bean curd. The dishes were good sized but didn't get to try the steamed fish or peking duck. It was tasty and there's plenty of parking. Service was attentive and if we want to order a special menu, we'll have to come back and pre-order for our dinner. read more

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This place has grown to be one of my favorite local dim sum restaurant. You pick the items you want and it's delivered to your table. Their shrimp dumpling and pork siu mai are one of favorites. I came on a weekday for lunch and there's still a wait for tables. It is popular with locals. I have tried dinner here too, they have great selection and all very tasty. Seating is very tight though. Unless you have a big table. We had a small table for three today and the next table is literally inches away from us. But we always come back because the food is so good! read more

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4.4 rating to me. came on a Saturday about 10 in the morning and in about an hour things got about 3/4 filled We ordered dim sum from the menu then about an hour later we started see staff bringing round trays to be picked from The Xiaolumbao seemed smaller than expected and skin thicker. The chicken wings were tasty and fresh. And the rice noodles with shrimp were excellent as well. What was most surprising and best was the PURPLE YAM ALMIND BALLS had a mochi consistency in its shell and on the inside was a yellow non-egg custard almost sesame seed consistency that was super unique Too bad there was only two of us as we wanted to order and try more as we will be returning Add price to sit down was at 1.75 per person. Some of the dishes were a little bit more expensive as not listed on their menu some of the prices for the dim. We observed some of the other dishes we didn't try like in other Chinese restaurants. Fried rice was upward past $20. Since it was not that busy, the service was excellent as people were available to ask questions and to help with us I noticed in the previous two reviews that the restaurant only got ones that were based more on takeout Unclear why the overall rating is only an average of three as I would expect at least 3.5 to mid 4 for the quality Will be back to try more! Ps what's even better is that we got to shop at the moderate size Chinese grocery store next-door which is about 2/3 the size of a regular ranch 99. We also went to the nearby bakery, all within the same parking lot read more

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PARKING AND SEATING parking in a private lot for all of the local businesses-- lots of other Chinese restaurants. Enough spaces. It was busy at 12 on a Saturday so we went in and took a number. We got cut in line which was annoying. There isn't really a place to wait which was difficult-- crowded. People were smoking a lot outside so we couldn't wait there. They were professional about my service dog-- asked the one question, then let him be. FOOD AND SERVICE The food is good-- not as good as the Fremont Pearl bay. The shrimp dumplings are flavorful and structurally sound. The sticky rice portions were MUCH smaller than the other location-- like two bites. The sticky rice was warm and steamed but clearly not fresh-- stale, a bit dry, not sticky. We received most of our buns and dumplings within 20 minutes, but waited about 45 minutes for the mango pudding. When it came we were surprised-- at every other dim sum place, including the other Pearl Bay location, you receive 4 small puddings in fun shapes. Here it was one small bowl, and that's it. It was good though! No pleasantries from staff, but I also don't speak mandarin so I feel like I can't hold it against them. WORTH IT? Yes. Not as good as the other Pearl bay but it was still good, and if I needed dim sum in the area again I'd come back. read more

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Pretty good dim sum and probably the best in the area! My friends and I came on a random (non-holiday) Monday afternoon and it was PACKED full of asian aunties and uncles (always a good sign). Service is average, we got seated quickly and the food came out fast. You can order from a paper and there are dim sum carts being pushed around too. What we ordered: - chicken feet - har gow - siu mai - steamed spare ribs - radish cake - baked bbq pork bun - baked portuguese egg tart - baked egg custard bun - pan fried pork buns This location has a big parking lot so you shouldn't have a problem finding a spot. Everything was pretty good and if I was in the area I'd definitely stop by again. read more

Pearl Bay Tea House - Chicken feet, har how, pan fried pork buns, trip, steamed egg custard bun, radish cake, siu mai, Portuguese egg tart, steamed spare ribs - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Leandro, California

Decent dim sum place. I'd say it's 3.5 stars. Rounded up to 4 stars. There was a 30 minute wait to get seated at 2pm for a table of 4 this Saturday. They have all the usual dim sum variety. We sampled the usuals: Har Gow, Siu Mai, Beef Cheung Fun, Fried Shrimp Balls, Beef Meat Balls, Egg Rolls, etc. Everything was good. read more

Ordered porridge for takeout while feeling sick, arrived in 15 min as instructed, paid, waited another 10 minutes, asked the waiter about the status, told porridge is lunch menu and asked to change order to chow mein or some shit. Looking at the menu, porridge is not a lunch menu. Why did she take my order over the phone? And why didnt the lady who took my order request it to their cook timely to find out sooner? It feels like they never started my order 25 mins in so requested a change to something that could be cooked in a minute. And a Chinese restaurant doesn't have rice, egg, and pork? The place wasn't even packed, two seated tables out of like ten. read more