I rarely write reviews of Chinese restaurants in the DC area. My dad is friends with practically all the owners or chefs of the Chinese restaurants in this area. They've always given me hong-baos at Chinese New Years, wished me well on my marriage, I've gotten drunk with their kids (although, now that I'm thinking about it...I'm usually the one taking them out and getting them drunk), and they always have an extra twinkle in their eye when they see me. I just can't remain objective (plus, if they ever found out I gave them less then a stellar 5 star glowing review, they would kill me...right after my dad throttles me for being so disrespectful to my "uncles"). So, in the interest of full disclosure, my dad is good friends with the owner of Silver Fountain, and is friends with most of the wait-staff. My brother and the manager's daughter were BFFs while in Chinese opera together. However, I love Silver Fountain's weekend dim sum in it's own right. If they changed management (but kept the same delicious recipes) I would still come here. In my family of gluttons and foodies, in the DC area, there are two, and only two undisputed "rulers" of delicious Cantonese dim-sum...Oriental East and Silver Fountain (originally run by the same owners and chefs). Now, if you go to Hong Kong, or LA, there is without a doubt, much better dim-sum to be had; but in the DC area, if you're hankering for dim-sum, believe me, you need to visit Oriental East or Silver Fountain. So what makes Silver Fountain dim-sum so great? To start with, all the flavors are classic Cantonese style. While other dim-sum places may have newer fusion flavors or styles, or even incorporate flavors from other Chinese provinces, Silver Fountain remains deliciously classically Cantonese. They also still push the cute little dimsum carts around, which for me, is part of the allure and charm of dim sum. Dim sum should never be ordered from a menu, or served anything less then piping hot. Each dish's flavors are fresh, bright and clear. There isn't a muddling of flavors, and each dish tastes differently from the next. Yes, the food can become a little greasy (especially if you're with my family, and we will order at least 25 dishes for a party of 4), but that is also why you need to drink the ju-pu tea (ask for it - if you're not Chinese, they will just give you the cheap Lipton stuff). The slightly bitter ju-pu tea, made with chrysanthemums, will cut through the oil and makes your stomach feel much more light and refreshed (although, do not drink the tea until you are done eating. No sense filling up your belly with useless liquids!). If you're new to the whole "dim sum" experience, dim sum is an ancient Chinese pastime of "nursing ones' tea". Usually held by businessmen, as they sip tea and dine on snacks, they would discuss business for hours. Served on small tapas sized dishes (although considerably cheaper then most tapas joints), dim sums are supposed to last for quite a while as you eat, drink, and enjoy the company you're with. I believe my family's record for dim sum was 4 hours - and we only finally stopped because the kitchen had to stop serving dim sum and begin the prep for dinner services. Silver Fountain only does dim sum on weekends, beginning at 11. I recommend that you get there at exactly 11. Usually by 11:30 there is a 30 minute wait, and by noon, the line is out the door. There are many large tables set up, and a huge parking lot (it's in a strip mall), so this is an ideal meeting place for large groups. read more

All I kept muttering as we walked out after a dim sum brunch was, "Chi tai duo leeeee"... But it was so good! Our party of 9 had no problem securing a table upon arrival a little before 11AM. We were soon brought water and ordered chrysanthemum tea and rock sugar crystals. And not too long after that, the carts started making their way around the dining room. We had fried turnip cake, an assortment of steamed dumplings with pork or shrimp or both, baked pork buns, baked pineapple buns, fried tofu skin, meatballs and egg tarts. Sadly, they ran out of har gau and sha chong fun before getting to our table and we didn't stay long enough for them to circulate them again. Unlike our experience at Oriental East, the pork buns didn't magically disappear and then never re-appear. They came out pretty frequently though some thought the filling wasn't as plentiful as the ones at OE. We ate until we were close to uncomfortably full and our bill for 9 people was $89. Say whaaaat? So with tip, it came to $12 per person. Which brings me back to my whole $12 A&J rule (the bill is always $12/person*). Given that I live very closeby and that there was no wait for a table, it's safe to say that I will be a regular here. --- *unless Lester K is among your group. If that's the case, then all bets are off. read more

This place has really really decreased in quality over the years. This used to my family's go-to spot for Chinese food near our house, but the prices have increased as they've subbed in cheaper ingredients. We've been getting the four-person set menu from the Chinese menu for years, and it always included beef soup, lobster, roast duck, a whole steamed rockfish, some sort of greens and a choice of dessert. But as the years went on, the duck changed to chicken and the rockfish changed to flounder. Well, we went again tonight, and not only was the food itself unimpressive, but the service and the cleanliness were pretty bad as well. They sat us right by the window during dinnertime, so that the sun shone into our eyes. Their window coverings don't cut it. When we asked to move, they seemed exasperated and tried to move us to a table that had just been cleared, so it was still wet from the rag. They wouldn't even set it. Then, we found a dirty tea cup and soup bowl, as well as several dirty spoons, all with weird leftover stuff caked on it. At no point did they apologize for this. Since we had more people today, we tried the six-person menu, which they brought out in a weird order. You usually get soup in the beginning, some mix of poultry, meat and greens in the middle, fish toward the end and noodles at the very end. The reasoning is that you don't get the really filling starchy thing, the noodles, until you're about to be done and then you can fill up on it if you're not full. But we got the noodles first, and the rest of the food in kind of a random order too. The table next door clearly kept asking for their soup, but it didn't appear until several courses in. The food was fine though I disliked that the fried pork in a sweet sauce had large chunks that were only fat. That always feels like cheating to me. The fish didn't come with a burner to keep it warm, which was disappointing. The lobster and the chicken were pretty good. Our total was about $130 with tip for five people-- around $26 per person. The restaurant, which I believe changed owners in the last couple of years, was noticeably empty on Father's Day. You'd think on a big day like this, it would be more than half full, but I guess if the service, quality and cleanliness have taken a dive like this, it's not that surprising. read more

It's a shame because I ate here once and it was wonderful. Tasted like leftover chicken that was reheated. Fried rice was worse than mall food. Waiter never checks on you. Even the egg drop soup crispies were stale. Felt like they were having us eat down an old supply of food. They serve tea which is nice. Even ice cream was bad- frostbitten and bad quality. No flavor. read more

We have been coming here for over 25 years since it was located in White Oak. It's service though has continued to decline to the point of being grossly rude and hostile starting with trying to simply be seated and being repeatedly ignored. Then seated at a dirty table as the hostess. The management used to watch over to make sure food was reaching tables but not today and there were multiple tables not receiving food or minimal. The quality of the food had been such in the past we have tried to put up with the rude and poorly managed restaurant but the past couple times it has not been up to par. As I write this I am watching a large family being seated at a table that was not wiped up after another group just went. read more

You can't go wrong with dim sum at Silver Fountain. The proprietor of the restaurant along with his older brother used to be the owners of the now defunct Silver Palace, formerly located in White Oak. As a kid, I remember weekends at Silver Palace restaurant: always packed for dim sum with long lines, terrible parking, but oh so authentic good Chinese food. One nice waitress from the old restaurant still works at the Fountain. Brings back good memories, but is it just me, or does the dim sum at Silver Fountain look and taste exactly the same as other local restaurants? Whether at Good Fortune or at the ever popular Oriental East, you may notice the sizes, shapes, and colors of the dim sum at each restaurant appear identical. For instance, you would be hardpressed trying to tell the difference between the large pineapple buns from each restaurant. Granted, I'm not complaining and I'm not saying anything is wrong. Every dim sum-serving restaurant would be happy to have the traffic Oriental East gets on the weekends, right? Interestingly, Hollywood East Cafe stands out as serving a greater variety than that seen in the other restaurants: dim sum shaped like orange carrots with green stems, crispy green-tea balls with sweet black bean paste filling, or even vegetarian versions of typically meat- or seafood-containing dim sum. The pineapple buns at Hollywood East Cafe, by the way, are much more manageable (smaller) than the other establishments. Even so, with good food and attentive service, I must say Silver Fountain serves up a fount of auspicious memories both old and new. But is it another Oriental East? Darn close enough! You'll get seated at a decent time too. Tip for vegetarians: Since most dim sum consists of very few vegetarian dishes, you can always place a specific order for a seasonally-available Chinese vegetable sauteed with garlic, which is a great alternative to the typical Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce served for dim sum. Chinese watercress (my favorite) or pea sprouts (different than bean sprouts) are so delicious (and less salty) you won't need rice. You can even request Chinese broccoli prepared the same way. TRIVIA UPDATE 3/6/08: Silver Fountain is actually the sister restaurant of Oriental East, the more popular identical twin. OE always plays hard to get as you will have to wait over an hour for a table while SF is "easy" (and a more obscure find) and will seat you in a jiffy. SF actually serves the same dim sum as OE, because the chefs from both restaurants were trained in the style of the original "momma" restaurant Silver Palace, who unfortunately passed away at the birthing of her identical twins. Tip: Seek out SF if you want some; a taste of OE can be quite the hassle. read more

Dim Sum Restaurants in MoCo ranked highest to lowest: 1) Oriental East 2) Silver Fountain 3) Hollywood East (which is now closed - but is still better than NF) 4) New Fortune read more

This is a review about dinner. Environment: Plenty of parking spaces. Inside looks clean BUT double check your fork / utensils because my fork has a gooey white substance on it. Food: Carry-out taste with a higher $ price. Edible. Service: Very poor: we ended up pouring our own water, the owner (manager) sat on the table next to us, starring off space, never once asked how we are doing. She did not even noticed our server disappeared for 10 minutes (3 times)...and there were only 3 tables throughout the whole restaurant! But what really ticked me off was at the end of it all, when the server came back with our credit card and receipt, she had the nerve to stand next to my husband watching him how much he's going to tip. Seriously?! I really wanted to tell the server to fck off...definitely not coming back to this place ever again. read more

This used to be our go-to place in the DMV area! But I think they changed management 1-2 years ago and it's really gone downhill. Service is super slow and servers are rude. The "steamed cart" during dimsum comes out once an hour and if you sit at the end of the loop, you're left with nothing. I asked multiple servers when the cart was coming or if we could order a la carte but was ignored. Quality of food is also not as good. The har gow was over steamed. Roast pork buns are mostly bun and no pork. read more

Great for dim sum. Be prepared to wait a LOOOOOOONG time for a table. Don't know if they are picking up the slack left by Hollywood East's permanent "temporary" closing (for a move to Wheaton Mall) but that place is busy for dim sum Had thought their regular food wasn't as good but caught the lunch buffet late in the day (2:00 ish) and was really impressed. Was only disappointed in myself for having gotten there so late that some of the dishes were all gone. The regular lunch menu looked completely boring, along the lines of chicken lo mein and szechuan chicken. The buffet was defnitely the way to go. Oddly the only thing on the buffet I didn't like was the fried rice. I guess Silver Fountain will be my "go to " place until Hollywood East reopens (whenever that may be). read more

Went to Silver Fountain to celebrate my Father's birthday today. We don't normally go to Silver Fountain because it's out of the way. We usually go to New Fortune to eat because it's in close proximity of our houses and my sister used to dislike this place in the old days when it first opened. Food: 5/5 stars. The food was fresh, hot and constantly coming around. The tastes were quite balanced and we kept comparing everything to New Fortune. In almost every way, Silver Fountain won out. I don't think I've had better dim sum any where else. And because of that, it gets 5. We got: Ha Gow (Crystal Shrimp Dumplings), Siu Mai (Pork Dumplings), Chinese Broccoli, Wu Gwok (...crispy taro root dumplings?), Beef Chow Fun, Pork Spare ribs, Fried Stuffed Tofu and a couple of other things that I don't know the English name of. Service: 4/5 stars. The owner was very attentive as was our waitress. There isn't much to say about it other than that. It took a little while to get my waitress's attention to pay for the meal, but that could have been because we were standing around our table talking to some people we happened to run into at the restaurant. Decor: 4/5 stars. It's a Chinese restaurant. If it's clean and doesn't look tacky, it gets a 4. Over all, 4.5 stars. It cost us about $45 for roughly 11 dishes or so. Not bad over all. I almost gave this place a 5 Star rating, but again, this place didn't knock me out of the park, so they only get a 4. read more

Too little service help. One weekend I went to eat dim sum. The tables filled up fast. There was one waitress. The receptionist tried to help. Meanwhile the owner entertained her friends, ignoring the maddening scene. Guests had to pour their own water, plates weren't removed. Bills didn't arrive in a timely manner. The waitress was so stressed, but the owner didn't care. read more

I was famished, it was nearby, and had some decent reviews. Maybe I just ordered the wrong stuff, but it was marginal as far as Chinese American food goes. Oolong tea was hot and fresh but weak. hot and sour soup was well balanced but not robust, and the fried noodles were fresh and crisp but oily. The egg roll was also greasy. Kung Pau chicken had zero heat, and rather than the expected bamboo shoots had onions and green peppers. Oh, and it left a pool of oil on the plate. The passable soup and the scoop of ice cream included with the combo saved them from the dreaded single star of scorn. I've definitely had better of everything served. The more ethnic dishes and dim sum may be better, but I'll still pass. read more

This is by far the best place I've come for dimsum in the DC area. I've had my fair share of dimsum and have always been disappointed by the quality in silver spring and Fairfax. What sets this place apart I the quality (everything seemed incredibly fresh and made on-site) and the selection (we had everything from chicken feet, squid, pineapple buns, ribs, scallop dilumllings, taro dumplings, meat dumplings). We saw so many things come by that we didn't have a chance to try including the custard eggs, whole shrimp assortments of vegetables, crab balls, fish balls... You get it. The carts were always fully stocked and, contrary to many of the other reviews, the service was nice and the cart ladies were very helpful. If they don't have what you want don't hesitate to ask and they'll bring it to you. Prices are a little higher than other places in the area, but well worth it read more

This Christmas Eve was my fourth time having group dinner here for families. It was also the best. We came here for big family dinners, either 3 or 4 table of 10. My wife and I came here for Dim Sum before the dinner party. The food appeared better than the past, like the present trend, less salt. We had 3 tables (10 people each), and ordered the standard dinner for 10 for each table. Food was very good, price was reasonable, the waitresses were very nice, way to celebrate my mother in law's 90th birthday. read more

I don't know why this was listed primarily for dim sum. When I go here it's for the lunch buffet. Unlike some other "Chinese buffets" I see reviewed here, this one is purely Chinese, no Western food. But they have great stuff. There's a rather spicy shrimp dish that my wife (who normally doesn't like things very spicy) fills up on here if they have it that day. I love their hot & sour soup, the dumplings, and the same shrimp dish. But I like most of the stuff here. A very good buffet (weekdays only, though). read more

Went here for dim sum because I heard it was less of a wait and "almost as good as Oriental East." Somebody lied to me. For a party of 2, we had to wait 45 min. Right after we were sat, some worker lady tried to steal the bf's chair. while he was in it. I'm serious. The food was subpar and tasted like it had been there for hours. Not the absolute worst dim sum that I've had, but not good either. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're absolutely desperate... but then I'd tell you to stop by Trader Joe's and pick some up in the frozen aisle, even those are tastier. read more

Weekday office dim-sum lunch. Table of 9, stuffed to the gills = $13 pp including tip. A good selection of dim sum made to order (you pick off the menu, and they deliver). The only things we got which I would not get again are the egg tarts (the crust was too crumbly to hold the tart without the aluminum shell) and the pork spareribs, which were overcooked and tough. I would write more, but I have food coma. read more

Like finding money in an old jacket, Silver Fountain is an ecstatic surprise. Goodbye Oriental East, we've found our new favorite local dim sum spot! Our first two visits were on Sundays at noon, with a decent 10-15 minute waiting time for a party of two. Immediately upon sitting, tea is served and carts are rolling to our table side. While there is less selection than other places, most dishes are delicious. Our favorites: Fried taro & shrimp cake, steamed shrimp & chive dumplings, and deep fried minced pork dumplings. Though not extraordinary, the service here has far surpassed the service we've received at other Chinese restaurants. The managers/owners are constantly making rounds to help wait on tables, the cart ladies were all smiles and even carried scissors to cut up steaming hot dim sum for us, and water was frequently refilled (my bf drinks water like a tree). Tables are not too small, nor are they placed too close to each other. Decor is typical for Asian restaurant, and lighting is perfect for a lazy Sunday morning. My only gripe about this place is the small dim sum selection. Although you can order dishes directly from the kitchen, nothing signifies dim sum better than the rolling food carts...and lots of them! Bottom line: Silver Fountain is what a local like me would recommend if you're looking for good MD dim sum without the crazy long lines, rude service, and eternal wait for food (*cough *cough Oriental East). read more

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Good lunch deals and a buffet that I have not tried. I got the shrimp in garlic sauce and it has Chinese vegetables in it and the snow peas always have black spots on them like they are going bad and they cook them anyway! The food has a lot of honey or syrup in it. read more

Recently, a group of us went to Silver Fountain for some Saturday afternoon dim sum. This was my first experience with dim sum on the east coast, mainly because I've heard horror stories about the quality. After my visit here, I was plesantly suprised. The food was tasty, fresh, and exactly what I was craving. Fortunately for us, we were near the kitchen, so every cart had to walk by us, giving us first crack at the food; so I can't complain about service taking too long, but I can definitely see how it would be a problem. If we missed a cart on the first pass, the chances were slim we would get a second shot. Since we were in a large group, I got to sample pretty much every item available, and with the exception of an 1 or 2 items I loved every bite. The flavors were delicate and well balanced. The tea refils happened almost the second we opened the teapot lid to signal were empty. And the staff was quite helpful in serving us items we didn't get a chance to pull from the cart, especially the pineapple desert buns...YUM! At the end of the meal the total came to $13/person...not even sure how that happened...it definitely seems like we ate way more than that. I know where I'll go next time I'm craving some tasty dumplings. read more

Good dim sum in general, like the pork shrimp dumpling that is yellow. Decent Chinese food but not super special, none of the flavors really pop out such as being super fresh. Hot sour soup pretty good. Very consistent, food taste the same every visit. read more

Never going back again! Way to look me in the eyes and then keep walking. . . TERRIBLE SERVICE Also, why is there only one cart rolling around for over 15 mins, seriously? I sat there starving after waiting 30 mins for a table to have to wait another 15 mins for 1 cart to even push past me. And even after that, every cart they pushed out did not have much variety or the good stuff got taken right away. Tips: 1. order dim sum from the menu. 2. if you see something rolled out that you want, tell a waiter to go get it from the cart (by the time it gets to you, it will probably be gone) Only thing that was good was the fresh egg tarts (which I had to tell a server to go to the back to get) read more

My family and I have been coming to this place for Dim Sum since I was a kid., so this review is only for dim sum...not their buffet or dinner. The waiting area is a lot bigger than Oriental East's so you aren't always being pushed and shoved by the traffic walking in and out of the place like Oriental East. The food is pretty good and my faves are the pineapple bun, shrimp dumpling and beef noodle crepes. This past time I went there, the turnip cake is a little mushier than I am used to but nonetheless I enjoyed it. Just a little tip...if you are coming here during peak hours, please hope you get seated near the kitchen so you get first dibs on the fresh food coming out. If you are sitting on the other end of the restaurant, good luck on getting your fave dim sum orders. However, If that does happen to you, just try and grab your server or ask one of the cart ladies to get it from the kitchen. read more

Very authentic dim sum. Top dim sum place in DC metro area. Fresh food. The only bad thing is that the place is too far for me to go there very often. read more

I went for late lunch. Place is clean. Dim sum cart is still available. Basic dim sum menu nothing fancy. Maybe in the am they have more variety, I'm not sure. But this is by far the best dim sum in DMV. Yes. I kid not. The taste of the food is not overkill. Some of the dim sum I been is either too oily, or not fresh (as in you can smell the strong pork and the taste of the lard sort of linger in your mouth, ugh!) not this one. Pretty fresh. Although still not comparable to "the real" dim sum, but this one will do for now. read more

My aunt worked here, so there are familiar faces. It's definitely a plus for me because it's a place I've been going to for years. Not that I go often, but I do have memories from high school. I think they moved to their new space on the strip a few years ago and the new spot is more modern. The restaurant has always been dimly lit, but the mahogany walls and green tinted etched glass landscapes make the back of the restaurant seem like a scene from the Kung Fu movies. This would definitely be the secret lair. The last time I visited around Chinese New Year's they seated us towards the front of the restaurant where the windows were. We got more lighting and a chance to see the snow falling. My experience with Silver Fountain has always been good. I've never had great food here, but for my family and I who live literally across the road it's quite convenient. The prices are the usual fare for dim sum and the variety is the usual. There's nothing really bad or really special, but it will satisfy you if you have a dim sum craving. Just a note there is a crepe noodle dish that has a fried cruller in it. It's one of my favorite dim sums, but you won't see it on a cart. You'll have to request it. Also, if you don't see what you want on the carts, you may be able to get it especially made, so just ask. They are always pretty crowded on the weekends and you can expect to have to wait, but there is some seating for people who are waiting. I find the owners son to be very friendly. He serves as a host on the weekends and speaks both Chinese and English. His English and cultural competence reveals that he was probably raised in America so I find him easy to appreciate. He seems like a really humble guy and offers great service when you're dealing with him. read more

I don't think I've ever eaten dim sum before. I'll be honest: I used to think that "dim sum" meant that it wasn't very pricey. Y'know, when you looked at the total for the food you ordered, it was a very "dim sum." So I went here with my Asian-American friend and his family. The first good sign was the amount of Asians here. You know that Asians will always go for the authentic stuff, so that was reassuring. The atmosphere was nice, with a very spacious interior. Think of Silver Fountain as an Asian Fogo de Chao. You sit at your table, and waiters and waitresses come 'round with trays full of food. You ask them to stop, tell them how many plates of something you want, and they plop it down onto your table. I had various... things. I'm sorry for sounding so uncultured, but I really don't remember what most of the food I ate was. There was lots of shrimp, and the spring rolls were tasty. There was some sort of chili hot sauce that was very flavorful, and mixed well with soy sauce. My friend's family said that they have tried many dim sum restaurants and they always end up coming back to Silver Fountain. It cost $66 for feeding 5 mouths with unlimited food and some jasmine tea. Great! read more

You do not have to wait for a wedding to enjoy an amazing chinese wedding banquet; and this is much cheaper since you don' t have to give the Li Shi money (the little red envelope). SF is always open and ready to handle bridal and non-bridal party guests alike!!! Let me start with how spacious and clean it was upon entering, and the staff were amiable from the get go! Even though we didn't make reservations; we were seated immediately; albeit, we arrived at 5 on a thursday afternoon! The restaurant seemed like is reserved for us!!! Some highlight dishes: -enjoy the cold cuts of belly with hot chill sauce to get the palates ready! -ask for extra napkins because eating the honk kong style lobster will get messy! -the shrimp and scallops in mayo were mayoaesome! -and we couldn't leave without having the crab claw - a staple of all chinese weddings! only let down was the complimentary tofu dessert soup because their were no fruits accompanying it; but hey, the chinese were never famous for their desserts in the first place! I highly recommend this place! read more

After several unsuccessful dim sum attempts (one per US coast), I was weary of even the concept of contemplating yet another dim sum place. However, Silver Fountain's never-ending stream of little dishes changed my mind in a heartbeat and I am now quite the d.s. enthusiast! First, the selection was plentiful--everything from tender dumplings, seafood plates (shrimp, scallops, etc.), so-nicknamed fried balls of goodness with various fillings, sticky rice, unidentifiable but great goodies baked into pies, and even traditional dishes such as...uum...avian extremeties of the non-wing variety. (While I didn't try the said feet, I was told they are exceptional here by the local d.s. expert at my table who frequents the place. And, yes, I am definitely trying these next time--I'm sure they've been washed!) For anyone out there trying to get into the dim sum craze, take my advice and bring a large crowd (~4-8 friends should suffice). Not only can you try more items this way but also, if a dish misses the mark, no one is stuck finishing it: after half dozen chopstick-fulls, most dishes (even those of sizable portions as here) are at least half gone. We tried soooo many different dishes, I could barely keep up grabbing delicious morsels from the instream of plates. In addition to inspiring variety of plates at the table, coming as a group also kept costs down as each of us paid somewhere in the mid-teens--the price of most lunch entrees. If given the option of choosing a table, score a seat towards the center of the room in direct contact with the hallway passage. While I normally would not recommend a spot in the isle, here the walkways are the ubber-important cart superhighway, and proximity to these allows your table first grabs at everything coming out of the kitchen. Requests are welcomed so if there's a treat that you missed to other eager eaters or a dish hasn't come out in a while, speak up. The tea was plentiful and well-brewed; refills were prompt. I never thought of saying this about dim sum of all things but...I just cannot wait to go back! read more

First time here, and it was possibly the worst restaurant experience ever, and I eat out quite a bit. The wait was obscenely long, and even though they told us "15-20 minutes", we waited for a good 40 minutes for a table for 3. I knew we came right at the lunch rush, but don't tell us we only need to wait 15 minutes if the actual wait time is going to be triple that. Strike 1. When we finally got seated, we asked our waitress if we could order some dim sum dishes since we saw her carrying them to other tables. What we got? A rude reply telling us no, and that we should just wait for the carts. Strike 2. So we ordered from the carts, and these carts had the saddest selection of dim sum I've ever seen. There were only a couple dishes, and none that we really wanted. So we asked a different waitress if we could just order the dim sums we wanted, and this time she said yes. We asked for 2 dishes, and she told us it would be a 10 minute wait. LIAR. It took her 20 minutes to come back to us and tell us that dish A got given to another table because "another waiter took it" and that dish B was still being prepared. WTF? So we're like, ok, bring us another dish A. Strike 3. Seriously, I don't know why we still stayed at this place by then, but we did. The waitress comes back another 15 minutes later and now tells us that dish B is "all sold out". WTF?? By then we were pissed as anything, so they kept asking us if we wanted chow mein or something from their main menu. NO, if I wanted to eat regular Chinese food, I'd stay at home and eat my mom's cooking. Strike 238483926 now. Whatever, I lost count. In the end, after a good 40 something minute wait, we finally got dish B. But by then, we're already all too upset to eat. Needless to say, they got no tip from us and they will not see us return again. Worst customer service ever. read more

Took kids there on a Tuesday night....restaurant was pretty empty. Food was cold when it was delivered except for the lo mien. I didn't complain as we waited a little while and were hungry. I just wouldn't go back. read more

Sub standard dimsum with boorish servers. If I had to bet my money on it, I had shrimp dumplings (har gau) that were store bought from the frozen items aisle at the local Asian grocery store. Har gau skin should NEVER EVER be an easily disintegrating, mushy disaster like what I had. I bet some other dumplings I had were frozen store bought messes too. Other items like the fried taro ball and sticky rice (lo mai kai) seemed amateurishly made. And as for our waitress, well! We ran out of tea and politely got her attention for a refill as she passed our table. My friend and I were stunned with the response: "Next time, you want refill, open teapot lid! Then I will know!" she barked, before snatching away the teapot. My friend and I are perfectly aware of that Chinese dining protocol, and we certainly didn't appreciate being screamed at like that. Go if you live nearby and don't have a car. Otherwise, hitch a ride to the other places with better service and better food. read more

Decided to check this place out the evening of thanksgiving. I ordered 4 wings and egg soup... Now, before I ordered, I witnessed a large dinner taking place with some of the employees (maybe aunts and uncles and 3 people who actually work there.) The food look beyond appetizing. Everything looked fresh and super tasty. I assumed they serve me real chicken not those gigantic wings. Well I was disappointed. The mammoth sized wings arrived. It was truly scary how large these wings were. My daughter quickly grabbed a wing and pretended to shoot it at me because it looked like a mini water pistol. The FDA should really check out the wings these Chinese food places serve. It was so large! They were given the best steroids in the market. Now for the egg soup. It wasn't for me. The food was not good. I was forced to trash the human like ginormous wings. On the plus- the gentleman who helped me with my order was super cool and friendly. ... Would not recommend. read more

I've been coming here for at least the past 10 years. In the immediate area, the dim sum is good. There are some other places, I guess, but Silver Fountain is the most accessible with a lot of parking. I don't typically come here for the regular menu, so I can't really speak to that. However, the dim sum is sized well and not too salty. Make sure to let them know if you're not drinking tea during dim sum or else they'll charge each person for tea at the table. The customer service is just okay because the servers don't really pay attention to you any more than just taking your order and putting the food down. There isn't any relationship building. One other thing that's kind of weird...sometimes, after they drop off the credit card slip, the servers will just stand there and wait for you to sign. read more

So we decided to venture in here despite a couple of recent and brutal reviews that might otherwise have led us to avoid it. Common throughout the negative reviews was the suggestion that the food here is good, but the service is terrible. So we gave it a shot. Normally when we stop by this shopping center (one of the worst ever to drive in...I hate it. ) Silver Fountain is packed, so we never ventured inside. Today it looked sort of quiet by comparison, so despite that stupid car show making an already painful parking lot a truly dreadful place to be we went in. They were indeed a little brash at first, so we had our hopes kind of low and ordered some soup and 2 egg rolls just in case the dim dum cart thing was a big failure. It was not. We could've done without the soup and egg roll.They tasted fine, but the dim sum was good. And all of the folks brinigng the carts around were very nice, and very helpful for us newbies who asked all sorts of stupid questions about the food. Our primary server was sort of a hurried, short sort at first. But she turned out to be real friendly and stopped at the end of our meal to chat with us and tell us a bit about the place and some of what we'd eaten. Totally not what I was expecting given the skewering the wait staff at this place received at the hands of other Yelpers. Our egg rolls did seem to get forgotten, but in a place that's churning out so much dim sum cart food I can understand two lone egg rolls getting lost in the shuffle. There was a guy (a manager) running around straightening tables and filling waters and asking how things were, and once he realized we still needed the egg rolls he stayed on top of it til we got them. Overall, I liked it. The price was decent. 2 of us ate for around 30 bucks, and we did worry we'd gone overboard. Take away our "insurance" options of soup and egg rolls and I'd say the meal was well worth the money. I'm definitely going to return to Silver Fountain. They only do the cart service on the weekends, so if you're hoping to come for that be sure to come on a weekend and be prepared to possibly have to wait a bit for a table. read more

We read all the positive reviews and trekked out for some Dim sum. We had a large party so were seated right away. Seems like they have a lot of large tables but for smaller parties there is a wait. The dim sum was delicious and I was surprised at how friendly the staff was. I brought along a birthday cake because it was my mom's birthday and they were great. They brought out a knife and some plates/forks for us. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone who is looking for some good quality dim sum. read more

Good dim sum is hard to find--so hard, I'd given up after 3 years in the VA/DC area. I grew up going to Chinatown in NYC every weekend for dim sum and groceries until NJ got its own stores and restaurants with good quality dim sum, so I'm a bit picky. Cue-Silver Fountain--one of the best surprise finds since I moved here. The food is authentic, warm, and in my newly reformed opinion, the best dim sum in the DC metro area. i called my parents just to say they'd be in trouble--because I used to drive 4 hours north just for dim sum (not often, but whenever the craving was overwhelming). Now, I can get my fix in 30 minutes, making me a very happy camper. read more

Silver Fountain has a much larger variety of dim sum available than the dim sum places near me. Silver Fountain has more selection and overall cheaper price than Asian Court in Ellicott City. The pineapple bread here was quite good. It was fresh and warm and filled with egg custard. I think our group liked the food overall, although it doesn't quite have the variety or prices of NYC/Flushing Dim Sum places. We had a variety of dishes such as: turnip cake (my favorite dim sum dish), fried baby octopus, fried tofu, chicken feet, rice noddle wrapped fried cruller, roast pork buns, shrimp and chive dumplings, har gow, and much, much more. However, the big downside we experienced was were we sat and the lack of food we had on our table for most of the time being. We sat close to where the hostess stand is located. I guess this is the end point of where all the carts are and by the time all the carts reached our table, there was never any food left. Silver Fountain's kitchen needs to pump out the dim sum delicacies faster and they also need more serving carts. This way, the faster people get fed, the faster a table becomes available, the faster a new group can be seated, etc. We came right at 11 so we were able to be seated right away, however a rush had just started after we were just seated. The wait for tables looked to be really long since the amount of food coming out of the kitchen was lacking. read more

Giving a star because I'm required to give at least one in order to write a review. We'll give the star for taste. Undoubtedly, this is that one restaurant everybody raves about and you know the food is good. Sad to say, the restaurant business is also about service and this place has some of the worst. I get that it's busy, but when I look around and a majority of tables don't have food on them and you're pushing 1 cart throughout an entire restaurant, it's just sad. This place has tasty food but unfortunately, you may never find out if you go here. After waiting about 45 minutes to be seated, we were only able to order 3 plates, all of which were eaten immediately. After that, there was nothing left and we kept seeing the same cart with one plate left on it. I was wondering how people were still being seated, especially when you don't have food to serve them. If you want good dim sum.... Go back out of this review, type in "good fortune restaurant" or "Far East restaurant" and voila. Food you can actually eat. read more