We ordered the pan-seared steak cubes with chili pepper, shrimp dumplings (har gow), crunchy string beans, and Shanghai dumplings. The steak was really juicy, and I highly recommend it even though it's a bit pricey. The chili peppers made the steak quite spicy; however, it was still a very good dish. For dim sum, I was a little disappointed because I couldn't order the rice noodle rolls since they were only available on the lunch menu. However, the shrimp dumplings were har gow style, and they were decent and filled with juicy flavor. read more

Tai Pan - Shrimp dumpling Crunchy String Beans with Minced Pork - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

See all

My Dad loves coming here, but to be honest AMBIANCE: A liiittle drab and dark. I think it's been like this for years. SERVICE: Ok! Workers are attentive and nice. FOOD: I think you can get better for the price you pay somewhere else! [this goes for a lot of spots in Palo Alto, though; not just this one] Overall, if I didn't have to come here because of family, I wouldn't. read more

Wanted a quick bite so decided taipan bc dimsum shld be quick. Idk this was an actual restaurant, compared to one in sac its like a dimsum togo place sorta. But we ordered togo, one order steamed chasui bao (3) and one order pan fried potstickers (6), total was less than 31. Lwk expensiveeeee esp for what we got, the chasui baos were so teeny tiny. Um we waited prob like 20 mins for it to come out... but the baos were fluffy and decent filling, flavoring and mostly meat not much fat. The potstickers were wtv jus normal nothing special. Service was decent i guess, we were there right at 5, saw lot of workers not super friendly but not rude. read more

Tai Pan - Bbq pork bun steamed (3 pc) - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Ordered Tai Pan for pickup through Door Dash. Prices were a little high, even for Palo Alto. We had the Honey Beef with garlic ($36), Yang Chow fried rice with BBQ pork and shrimp ($26), and Hong Kong Pan Fried Noodle with seafood (scallops, shrimp, and squid(?), $28. The beef was excellent, fried rice was not very fried and a little mushier than I prefer (very light in color) but the pork and shrimp in it were good quality. The Hong Kong Pan Fried noodle was packed well so the noodles stayed crisp - with the sauce, which was like a soup with the seafood, mushrooms, and baby bok choy - in a separate soup container. The noodles were very, very crisp and definitely needed the sauce/soup. I wasn't crazy about that one, but the seafood was again good quality. There's a parking lot next door but it's usually full, so if you're doing pickup, best to have someone drop you off and circle back. The hostess (owner?) had the order ready on time and double checked it when I picked it up. I liked her. read more

Tai Pan - Hong Kong Pan Fried Noodle with seafood ($28) - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

See all

Extraordinary greens! My family has come here for years and years and it hits literally every time. The fish tofu clay pot situation, crispy shrimp balls, and the har gao are MUSTS! The greens are also lovely and i think a very great addition to some of the heavier options as they are not oily at all read more

Tai Pan - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Great Chinese food for the whole family. Wonderful service and solid menu. You can't go wrong with the pork buns.

My family and I have been coming here for about 5-6 years now and this is the most consistent chinese food restaurant in the bay. I tried plenty of chinese spots, and this still is #1.The owner, (Ann Jie) always welcomes us and treats us like family. All of the staff is always attentive and ready to help. The food is packed with flavor, good quality, and plated with care. The restaurant is always clean and very well maintained. The restaurant itself is spotless and well-maintained, and the décor (paintings, banners, etc.) really gives it that authentic Chinese restaurant vibe. This visit was special, it was my grandma's birthday and we had to celebrate. Enter: The Alaskan King Crab! They bring out the crab beforehand to show us what we are about to feast on. Little cruel, but funny? Yeah. Since the crab is so big that means it has a lot of meat. Because of this, they cook it in 3 different ways. This crab is a very pricey, but to me it is worth the top quality of crab. I hate crab btw, but I love this one lol! As always, everything was great, but there are 2 dishes that stand out to me. The frog and the sweet and sour pork (pictures below). The frog ridiculously addicting, it's like opening a bag of chips. You keep on snacking, then suddenly the plate's empty and you're low key sad. So flavorful with a lot of MSG. Secondly, the sweet and sour pork. As you can see in the picture, the presentation is stunning. The hallow pineapple filled with the pork. Yum. The pork is very tender and the chunks of pineapple is super sweet. The sauce that's coated on this dish is sweet with a sort of tropical taste. Very good and addicting as well! PS: rice with this makes it x2 better trust. read more

See all

I visited for the first time after craving some comfort food--congee and dumplings--but unfortunately, the meal was disappointing overall. We ordered the shrimp porridge, shrimp and pork siu mai, Shanghai dumplings, Szechuan hot and sour soup, General Tso's chicken, and beef chow fun. The shrimp porridge was okay, and the siu mai was just alright, but the Shanghai dumplings, hot and sour soup, and General Tso's chicken were not dishes I would recommend. The beef chow fun was also too salty. The portions were quite generous, which is understandable given the price point. I usually enjoy ordering several dishes to try a variety of flavors, but this time, most of the dishes fell short. We ended up packing much of the food to go--not because we wanted to enjoy it later, but because we simply didn't enjoy it enough at the table. The ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant, but the food itself needs significant improvement, especially for the price. I wanted to like this place, but based on this visit, I don't think I would return. read more

Tai Pan - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

According to my son, the wood ear was soooooooooooooo good so is the pineapple chicken, and fried tofu. read more

See all

Service is poor. I called in an order to go. Waited nearly an hour and the order still was not made. I asked for a refund. Never had I had such poor customer service. read more

Amazingly attentive service every time we visited! Nice decoration and really made us feel dining in an upscale Chinese restaurant. Food: fresh ingredients with appropriate seasoning made delicious dishes! One word to describe: yummy!!! Great place for banquet and casual dining. read more

See all

Great experience here! My favorite dishes were the fried crabs and duck dish. Parking lot gets busy but can prob find street parking read more

See all

This place is filled with beautiful Chinese wall decorations. And has some of the best dim sum items around with responsive servers, it really gives you a feel of Hong Kong albeit without the crowd. They have mastered the Mala cake (Malaysian version of the sponge cake), which few restaurants around here serve. read more

See all

Stopped in for an early dinner. We were delighted with service - personal, warm, inviting...which is not always true for Asian restaurants. Friendly explanations of each of the dishes we inquired about, impeccable attention throughout the meal. We ordered a relatively small meal (early in the evening) and everything was delicious, presented well, and wonderful. We will definitely be back...next time, for dim sum. read more

This review is for their dinner service (not dim sum). We have been here a few times and really enjoy it! The menu has tons of options and the dishes are pretty good. The service is also great, staff are attentive and the food comes out fast. I do think the food is rly pricey (but that's Palo Alto for you). I was a bit disappointed about the portion size for the walnut shrimp, but everything else was fantastic! read more

See all

A family favorite for us. Dim sum on weekends is a staple, and their duck buns are among our favorites too. Try the seafood nest if you're new to Chinese cuisine and want something different and really yummy. Other family faves include mapo tofu, firecracker chicken, yang chow fried rice, and salt and pepper fish, crunchy string beans with pork. Their egg tarts are flakier and yummier than the local bakeries imo. Dog friendly outdoor seating -- they always offer our dog water. read more

The food is amazing. Every time we go to Tai Pan we are delighted. The duck, the crab, the Mongolian beef, everything is delicious every time. Prices are high, but you are getting the highest quality. My absolute go to Chinese in the area. read more

Good food but I find the service stilted. Love the dim sum. A little more formal than other Chinese restaurants. read more

Another fantastic experience! Ordered Honey walnut shrimp and beef with asparagus and wood ear mushroom salad. That was not enough, so we ordered some potstickers:) Excellent! The service is great, and the ambience is always friendly and nice. Cant complain about Tai Pan read more

See all

This is an upscale Chinese restaurant, you can tell right away as you are greeted warmly at the front. Full bar. Nicely decorated with nice painting and a large picture box with sculptures and figurines. The dim sum was pretty good. The usual fare of har gow, siu mai, baked bbq pork buns, peasprout dumpling, fried shrimp ball, gai lan, hot & Sour soup, combination Fried Rice, and Beef Chow Fun. For dessert, we had mochi. It was filled with black sesame paste, and crushed peanuts on the outside. Order ahead as these take at least 25-30min. I didn't get a chance to take pics as this was a work luncheon with a new group. read more

See all

I visited on a Saturday afternoon. There were open tables, but I was told they couldn't accept guests due to a private group inside. The staff seemed unfriendly and almost irritated, like we were bothering them just by asking. It felt rude and unprofessional. I understand the situation, but a more polite explanation would have made a big difference. read more

Excellent service with friendly and attentive staff. First time here for dim sum and enjoyed it very much. I've had dim sum my whole life across the entire bay and found the staff here to be very kind and attentive. Good quality dim sum with a lot of flavor and not too salty. Will definitely come back. Siu mai 10/10. Beef balls 10/10. Noodle roll 10/10. Rice porridge 10/10. read more

See all

My family has been going to Tai Pan for...2-3 decades? In the 90's and early 2000's it was a phenomenal place to go for a great Chinese meal. The food was always flavorful, and interesting, and perfectly cooked. My experience last evening was, sadly, a barely recognizable distant cousin. I don't know if the place has been sold in the past few years, or under new management. We couldn't make our reservation last evening, and had to cancel it, so got take-out from them instead. It felt like it came from an entirely different place. The food was bland, to the point of being really tasteless in some cases. The sauce that went with the lemon chicken was very oily, and the ribs we ordered we just....well, strange is the only word I can come up with. To be honest, I've never written a really negative review before. I've commented on various things I thought could be improved, but this was so far beyond that... Part of it is that our family had a history with the place. We went there to celebrate various milestones, or to take visitors out for a meal. It's where we went on the day I finally got a cast of my leg after 17 weeks (bad bicycle accident, badly mangled leg). Anyway, I'm hopeful that last night was an anomaly, and that their quality is in fact much closer to what it was. Perhaps it was an off night. Or perhaps it was the fact that it was their take-out. Whatever it was, hopefully they will improve and get back closer to their prior quality! read more

This was my first time trying Tai Pan for an event and it was a great dinner. The food was hot when it was served and the food was flavorful. The best item was the lobster which was tender and had a slight mala seasoning taste and garlic flavor. The soup had a rich umami taste yet it was super clear. The mango pudding was refreshing after the warm dishes and had pieces of mango. The service was good and the staff were attentive in clearing plates. The restaurant was clean and put together. read more

See all

We are not from the area and heard how expensive things are in Palo Alto. Had a rude shock when we were looking for lunch on a Saturday and found this place. The prices were absurd for the quality and quantity! Portion was so tiny and our food was cold when served. Never coming back. read more

Tai Pan - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

See all

Ambiance is ok for a fine dinner. Food is quite good but they are not honest in charging tax on the built-in service fee and ask for additional gratuity. Check your bill carefully before you sign. read more

Everyone who goes here orders the wrong thing. Skip the dim sum (their 蝦餃 is good though). Ignore the comments about service, this place is always noisy and crowded and slow. Try the clay pot fish and the frog. As a Hunanese and a proud frog lover, one of the most satisfying, delicious frog dishes I've ever had. Like garlic MSG frog candy. Yum. It's Palo Alto for god sake. This is where hungry Chinese people go when Blue Bottle feels a bit too boring. read more

Tai Pan - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

A solid place for an outdoor seating dim sum experience, but pretty overpriced given the portion sizes. If you just crave dim sum in Palo Alto though, it's a good option! Otherwise, I'd stick to Koi Palace or the takeout dim sum places in Sunset. read more

See all

We recently dined at Tai Pan and had a mixed experience. The service was attentive--waiters regularly checked on our table and followed up on our orders. However, despite their efforts, a few of our dishes never arrived, and we had to follow up multiple times. We ordered the Salt and Pepper Calamari and Pork Ribs, but after several reminders and waiting over 30 minutes, they still didn't come. Meanwhile, other tables that arrived later received all their food promptly. One of the managers assured us the dishes would be ready in a few minutes, but after another 10 minutes of waiting, we decided to cancel the order. Even then, the staff went back to the kitchen to check again. The food we did receive was good, but the delay and mix-ups took away from the overall experience. Hopefully, the restaurant can improve its order management because the service and atmosphere have potential. The food was mediocre except for the salt & pepper chicken wings. read more

See all

This is a great dim sum spot to go to when you want a relaxing dim sum experience where it's nice inside, elegant, peaceful, easy to hear everyone at your table. Even has tons of outdoor seating so you can bring your dog. Nobody rushes you, it's such a leisurely good time. Food-wise, while it's not as good as Cheung Hing (the best!), the food is still delicious and fresh and it feels like a dim sum place you can actually eat healthy at, nothing is overdressed or over fried. Love the pea shoot dumplings, pork and chicken sticky rice in the lotus wrap, steamed shrimp dumplings. Totally coming back. 5 stars!!!! read more

Ok you know that 3.5 star rule for Asian places?? It is the rule that 3.5 is the perfect rating for a delicious meal at an Asian place. This is 100% true for this place. It is delicious!! I think people get mad at the service but like that's expected for good Asian food. We came for dim sum and everything was so good. It has a very clean taste. I don't know how to explain it other than that. It is very clean and delicious. I give it 4 stars. We had all the common dim sum items and the chow fun with beef. That was so good. I would definitely come again. Make sure you have reservation they are very crowded. read more

See all

Came here as part of a giant family banquet last Saturday evening. First off, bravo to the wait staff for being able to accommodate everyone throughout the entire event. Wine was available as well as champagne and they continued to make sure everyone had drinks. As far as their banquet menu goes, it was really good. I mean, everything was good. We had a lobster fruit salad for starter followed by some sort of seafood soup with bird's nest. Sauteed geoduck clam followed by roasted squab were amazing. My parents and I think this is the best roasted squab in the Bay Area. Then we had sauteed scallops with vegetables, broccoli with dried scallop, steamed fish, sticky fried rice with Chinese sausage...and lamb chops??? All the dishes are pretty par for the course as far as Chinese banquets go, but their lamb chops were amazing. Tender and flavorful. Probably could've had more seasoning to mask the gaminess, but given I've never had lamb chops in a Chinese restaurant, it's pretty good. Then my favorite part was the dessert. Their baked sago pudding was my favorite. Sweet and warm and good portioning of sago custard to red bean. My boyfriend really loved it as well. And as for a staple, we had the peach buns too which were filled with lotus paste. All the food was super delicious. Shame the restaurant's so far from me though. Otherwise I'd definitely be frequenting the place more often. Even that pudding is worth it. But overall, bravo to the restaurant for managing multiple big tables. read more

See all

I have been here 3 times now and all times I've had fabulous service to the point where the staff remembers our family! This makes each interaction that much more personable and helps add to the experience. The food is always amazing and such good flavors. We enjoy: soup dumplings, pork buns, chow fun, basil chicken, string beans, ma po tofu, honey walnut shrimp and more!! Conveniently located in downtown Palo Alto this is a great location and easy to walk to with lots of street parking options. read more

Good, satisfying meal. Definitely not cheap but a good option for a nicer family gathering, and all of the food tasted like it had quality ingredients. Nice service, though a tad slow. My favorites were the pan fried pumpkin covered in salted egg yolk (typo on the menu) - that was something that I had never had before but it was fun to try, though pretty salty - and the steamed bean curd roll (but I'm always a sucker for that). I would pass on the soup dumplings - there was basically no soup despite the premium price. read more

See all

Weekday lunch. Dim sum: Ample portions. Excellent, fresh, well prepared. A graceful setting, amiable service. Weekend lunch. Dim sum: Ample portions. Very good. A bit crowded and noisy inside. Not quite so fresh and graceful. Accepts reservations by phone. read more

On Dec 1st we had a luncheon at Tai Pan in Palo Alto to honor my wife's passing. The food was excellent , the wine went very well the menu, the service was more than excellent and Jeanne was a great hostess. The cost of the luncheon was more than reasonable for the quality of the food and service. I was able to change the menu to my preferred items but, the banquet menu as offered is remarkable. I would return to Tai Pan without hesitation. The only negative was the lack of a larger banquet hall. But, for a party of 40-45 guests the site is more than adequate . read more

The food there is always amazing! We go there often for dim sum lunch or dinner, and they never let us down. The prices are a bit higher, and the portions tend to be smaller, so order multiple of them as needed when dining with a larger group of more than 4 people. Each dish size is roughly for two people, so order accordingly. This is our favorite spot for dim sum and Chinese food when we want something a bit more refined. And yes, it's a bit pricier, but it's worth it! read more

The food is fabulous! The service is always great! Tai pan is always busy and pleasant to enjoy a meal. read more

I was in Palo Alto area trying to get some dim sum for lunch. Google map showed this Tai Pan. I thought it was the same as the other Tai Pan's that sold dim sum take out. But once I got there, it's a restaurant, so I went in and tried it out. Wow. the normal dim sums are 12.00 an order - way more expensive than the other famous dim sum restaurants like Koi Palace and HL Peninsular. The dim sums are fresh and delicious. And hmm, I'm not sure I will pay 1.5 more than the other restaurants again. Maybe ok with the multi-millionaires living in Palo Alto read more

Good quality dim sum in Palo Alto, service was thoughtful, definitely not your average Chinese restaurant servers that are so prevalent down in so cal. While we wanted to sit outside because of the kids, they recommended us to sit inside since there were not that many people yet so disturbing others wouldn't be an issue. Was pleasantly surprised by the tasteful Chinese decorations. It was a little hard for me to line up the name of the dish I wanted to check off with the pencil & paper at first but after a pointer by the sever quickly got the hang of it. The chicken feet were da bomb! read more