Baked BBQ Pork Buns: a signature dish here I'm told. The breading was surprisingly light and airy. I could polish off about a dozen if left unattended. Hehe. We tried more yummy foods, as evidenced by my pics, but I'm stuck fantasizing about those pork buns even now... read more

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Had lunch here today and the food was PHENOMENAL!!! It's not wonder they have a Michelin star. I didn't order so I don't know what all we ate, but i will say: it's amazing how full you can get on small bites! It was fun to share all the food too! Place was JUMPING btw. I don't know why it has three stars, as you couldn't tell by how full it was or how happy people looked! We really enjoyed the amazing food! read more

When I walked in today I Saw a lot of people waiting to get tables. Then I saw a lot of people sitting inside. The tables and chairs are all brand new, it's such inviting atmosphere. Since only me and my wife we got sitted right away only 5 minutes wait. The waiter informed us to scan the bar code on the side of the table for menus. I ordered right away 6 dishes, and they came out within 5 minutes. I'm so happy and so does my wife. I will come back again since we live close by in Newport Beach. Thank you Tim Ho Wan to re-open again!!! read more

Introducing Tim Ho Wan, the renowned dim sum restaurant chain known for its delectable offerings and Michelin-starred reputation. With locations around the world, Tim Ho Wan offers a tantalizing array of traditional and innovative dim sum dishes, from steaming baskets of dumplings to savory BBQ pork buns. Experience the culinary excellence of Tim Ho Wan, where every bite promises to delight your taste buds. But I think this place is over priced. Each dish is $7 something.. but portion is small. Service was good and fast. Ambiance is bright and clean. Free parking but very hard to find parking space during lunch or dinner time. read more

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Tim Ho Wan may be a Michelin chain dim sum restaurant but this was not it to tell you the least. The dim sum here is average. I honestly don't really care for named restaurants when I know where the real dim sum spots to hit in SGV, Monterey Park, Rowland Heights etc. Convenient visit I guess. Steam rice rolls are supposed to be soft with almost white noodle consistency. It was pretty firm tbh. I ordered the minced beef roll. Very little portion of meat. Not the best I've had. Steam shrimp dumplings aka Har Gow was below average. Nothing really stood out to me. Braised chicken feet was probably the worst. They had to try and pick the most skinniest chicken feet. Sauce was very salty. Don't think they did it right at all. Unfortunate, this restaurant is a miss. Not worth the hype. read more

I've been wanting to visit Tim Ho Wan since I visited their Las Vegas location.  Fortunately there is an Irvine location. We arrived at 10am and there were a few other people.  Ordering was quick.  Sticky rice had lots of tender pork and a good sized piece of Chinese sausage.  Rice was moist, soft, and full of flavor.  One of my favorite menu items.   Pan fried noodle with bbq pork.  Egg noodles had a nice mild flavor.  Bbq pork seemed at least day old as it was not tender or juicy.  Flavor was mild.  This could have been great with more seasoning and better bbq pork. Bbq pork buns were my favorite menu item.  The top of the bun had a thin sugary coating a bit like conchas from Mexican bakeries.  Pastry interior was soft and fluffy with some sweetness like brioche bread.  Bbq pork filling was tender of moist with a mix of sweet and savory 5 spice powder based flavor.  This is my favorite style of bbq pork bun. 2nd visit we visited during happy hour. I ordered the bbq pork buns again and they were delicious just like last time.  I also had the won ton noodle soup.  Egg noodles had a bit of snap to them and a mild egg flavor.  Won tons had a tasty pork flavor. Fried rice with bbq pork and shrimp had delicious bbq pork which was tender and full of 5 spice powder based flavor.  Shrimp had a nice snap to them and I enjoyed the shrimp flavor.  Very good tasting fried rice dish due to the high quality meats. Lychee colada is cold and full of lychee flavor.  Hint of pineapple.  I like this drink but it's very sweet. Tim Ho Wan makes my favorite bbq pork buns in southern California.  I enjoyed the other dishes I tried except for the poor quality bbq pork in the chow mein I ordered.  Service was pretty speedy and the servers were nice.  I like how the menu is larger here than at the Las Vegas location. https://www.hungryones.com/2020/06/tim-ho-wan/ read more

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food is good, all servers is friendly.. everything is ok. the ambiance is terrific.. fast and smooth service

the food was really delicious and our server leo was great! refills and dishes came out fast

I always order door dash from here so I decided to eat inside for once. Came here Sunday around 11am and there was no wait. We were seated quickly. Things here are really a hit or a miss so that's why I gave 3 stars. Our server was really nice and attentive. No complaints about service. Shrimp and Chives Dumplings - 4/5 Hard to get these wrong, had a good ratio of shrimp to chive. Fried Dumpling with Pork and Dried Shrimp - 4/5 Surprisingly very good, has a mochi like consistency. Bbq pork and shrimp fried rice 5/5 Honestly my favorite dish here. Turnip Cake -3/5 needs more time getting fried!! lol Hot and Sour Soup - 1/5 not very good at all, too sour and the color just doesn't look right. Overall I think i'm find just door dashing this, dine in experience wasn't too e memorable and the decor inside seems outdated. i think they could benefit from a revamp of how it looks inside for it to get more of an elevated experience - and i'm not sure where i heard this but i though this was a michelin star dim sum place? didn't feel like it though. What i usually door dash is the siu mai and fried rice which are solid and delicious. everything else i had tried for the first time and the only thing i'd get again is the fried pork and dried shrimp dumplings! read more

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Time to set the record straight: Tim Ho Wan rocks. I don't know where these negative reviews are coming from. Delicious food. Limited menu but it covers the dim sum classics well. Great service. Shout out to Teddy for creating a catering menu that fit our needs perfectly. Hard to comment on ambiance since I didn't eat in. Restaurant was clean and all the diners looked happy. I'd recommend and would come back. read more

The dim sum is good but not worth the price. The only thing I'd recommend is the pork bao

I have been twice this past week. At first the food was not very good - either tasteless or overly sweet/salty. The second time around the quality improved significantly. Service was great both times, and the servers were willing to help out with whatever I needed. However, on the second time, one of the workers was yelling at the other workers in front of the customers which I believe is unacceptable both to the servers and to the paying customers. read more

the price is reasonable, really enjoyed the experience. the food overall is fresh, especially the shrimp in the shrimp dumplings.

We were excited to try out Cantonese style dim sum and heard about this chain but maybe we weren't used to the bland flavor dim sum. We did not like anything that we ordered sadly everything tasted mediocre. The chicken feet had nice color but no flavor and no puffy skin. Unfortunately nothing stood out for us to come back :( read more

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Restaurant just reopened. It is awesome. Food is very delicious. Service is outstanding. Servers josh and Neal are great, always coming to the table seeing if you need anything. The manager sam is awesome. He took really good care of us. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

I got to enjoy delicious dim sum with a few of my friend at Tim Ho WAN's Irvine location. Tim Ho Wan -- aka the "Dim Sum Specialists," ensure that they only serve high quality food by making each dish to order. Their dim sum menu features their world-famous BBQ Pork Buns along with other specialties such as the Steamed Rice in Lotus Leaves, Braised Brisket with Noodles, and their beautiful ooey-gooey Lava Custard Sesame Balls! My favorite dishes: chicken feet, spare ribs, and their famous BBQ pork buns! There are multiple Tim Ho Wan locations and each location has a "Regional Specialty", so be sure to ask for the specialty at the location nearest you! read more

The food was ok. I loved the cucumber salad though. I love how they offered the gift card to use towards the bill. The service could be better. The ambiance is pretty clean. I was hoping that they would have the dimsum cart but was disappointed. read more

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While the price is higher than other dim sum restaurants, weekday happy hour from 3-6 pm brings it down to a more reasonable level. For the most recent visit, we ordered 5-6 items and a sesame custard for $50 for 2 people. Happy hour = avg $1.5 off select items. We visited this venue 3-4 times over the past year and found wait times low, taste OK, and consistency average. The menu is somewhat limited. The convenience of this location is only overshadowed by the consistently difficult parking situation of the DJ plaza. This Tim Ho Wan cannot be further from the quality of the original Michelin-starred restaurant in HK. But it is good enough when you occasionally crave dim sum. read more

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The food here was very good! And I would like to give a shout out to Loi and William! They are very hard-working and accommodating to our dear customers! They were also very helpful around the restaurant! Thanks!!! read more

The newly reopened Tim Ho Wan is greatly improved. Ambience is cozy, looks and feels like a high end Hong Kong restaurant. The food tastes much better, savory and rich. The price seems to be lower than before it closed for rennovation. Service also improved, servers are friendlier, more attentive and polite. I liked Tim Ho Wan before the rennovation, now I love it even more. read more

Their ordering system is not fully operational. I received what I didn't order constantly & of course didn't get what I ordered... finally I only got the congee & left (after looong wait for the check). I'm still hungry ... read more

Visited for the first time and loved the baked pork buns and chicken feet! I am happy there are pretty good baked pork buns in OC since I would have to fly to SF to get them. The workers are very nice and they are still getting the hang of the flow but they are doing a great job in taking care of the customers! read more

OK I will say that sometimes the quality of Tim Ho Wan varies slightly. Over the last 24 months, I've visited probably 5 times now, and some times the food quality is a bit better than other visits. That said, there are so many things I have enjoyed on the menu, it deserves a 5-star review. The interior is sizeable, and service is fast, friendly and attentive. We've never had to wait there, and we only go there for lunch on Saturdays. My go-to craveworthy faves, I will get these almost every time I go: 1. Wontons in Hot and Spicy Sauce: wontons steamed in a garlicky, slightly sweet, slightly tangy chili sauce that has some chili oil. I could eat 2 plates of this myself (5 to a plate), they are irresistable. My always go-to at Tim Ho Wan. That said, sometimes better than others, this last visit they were sloppy, but still tasty. 2. Dry noodles. I've had this with and without char sieu (roasted pork) but I found the char sieu to be just OK and not add a lot to this dish. The dry noodles are tossed with shredded carrot, scallion and some bean sprouts. They have a wonderful chew and are perfectly accompanied by the chili oil & oil "goop" brought table side, or the tangy sauce that accompanies the chili oil wontons. Pro tip: add a little of both for top notch flavors. 3. Baked BBQ Pork buns. 3 to a serving, they aren't large but have a slightly sweet crumbly pastry crust and sweet & savory roasted pork filling that is luscious (but not juicy). 4. Siu Mai: these are a little variable. On my last visit, they were heavenly: super light airy, and juicy. On other visits, they've been slightly more dense. They aren't a rustic version, but they aren't as consistently refined as some that I've had. When these are done right at Tim Ho Wan (maybe 70% of the time), they are refined, light and elegant. The other 30% of the time they are just good, not mind-blowing. My new favorites: 5. Braised Beef brisket with noodles (subbed with rice noodles): The broth is a rich 5-spice style broth (a little reminiscent of boat noodles); brisket is tender, sometimes a little chewy, comes with super tender big chunks of daikon that melt like a soft potato. 6. Shrimp and chive dumplings. Very subtle flavors, my 2 year old really enjoyed these and wanted to eat the filling over and over. 7. Lava Custard Sesame Balls: delicious; light and thin sesame crusted shell, goeey sweet egg custard inside. Other good ones, aka things I have enjoyed there and will order from time to time. 8. Deep fried pork and dried shrimp dumplings. Very good, lightly crispy with a gooey interior. 9. Steamed rice roll: slithery and tasty. 10. Beef meatball - super tender, 3pc, one person in our party didn't like bc of cumin or something that I couldn't taste. I thought it was a wonderful, uber-soft meatball wrapped in gossamer bean curd skin. It was falling off like a peeling sunburn, but I devoured it nonetheless. 11. Rice Noodles in XO sauce: Rice noodles with XO sauce - good! Finger-thick, tender rice 'bars' that are actually thinly rolled rice noodles. sauced with a dark soy sauce, nice flavor and big portion. read more

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It's a good restaurant if you want some dim sum in the area. I have been wanting to try this for a while and finally got to go. I went during opening on a Sunday and it was not super packed. Service was good, waiters were nice and attentive. It felt more like a modern dim sum restaurant than others that I've been to. You order off the menu, they don't have the carts here. The menu has some of the normal entrees but I felt like it was missing some. Parking was easy since it was early but know that the lot gets super full as it's in a busy complex. read more

Ever since I went to the location in Taiwan I've been wanting to try the one in Irvine out. Honestly it's been so long that I forgot how it was in Taiwan, but the dishes that we ordered here was still great. We came in on a Sunday morning around 11 and there was no line at all. We ordered the Deep Fried Eggplant with Shrimp, Blanched Lettuce, Pan Fried Turnip Cake, Steamed Pork Spare Rib with Black Bean Sauce, Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf, Steamed Bean Curd, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow), Wontons in Hot and Spicy Sauce, Baked BBQ Pork Buns, Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork, Sweet Osmanthus Jelly with Goji Berries, Fried Silky Milk Sticks, and Lava Custard Sesame Balls. We filled out a sheet with our order and they pretty much brought our food right out. Everything that we ordered tasted great. Out of the dishes that we got, my favorites were the baked bbq pork buns, the sweet osmanthus jelly, and the lava custard sesame balls. I really like the contrast of the crispy exteriors of the pork buns and the sesame balls with the soft, liquidy insides, and I like that the jelly was not too sweet, and to be honest I like anything that's tea flavored. They pretty much premake everything which is why everything comes out so fast, however I wish that they were more consistent with the heating levels, because some dishes were still steaming hot, while other dishes that we received were only lukewarm. I also wish that they brought out the desserts last since, well, they're for dessert. All of our desserts were brought it at the same times our other dishes, which meant that they cooled down while we tried to finish our main dishes. The jelly was fine since they were cold to begin with, but the milk sticks and the sesame balls are best eaten hot and fresh, so I just wish that those 2 were brought out last. Service for the most part was great. Everything came out quickly and when we asked for extra chopsticks or if we were missing something they promptly brought it out to us. There was just one guy who gave the impression that he did not want to be there and had this dead look in his eyes. Everything he said was very monotone and he just snatched our order sheet and turned around without a single word. I get that server positions are very hard and can be overwhelming but it just very slightly ruined the experience for me. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt though, maybe he had a rough group before we came along and he started projecting his anger onto us, I don't know. Aside from a couple shortcomings everything else was great. The food was excellent, especially if they came out piping hot, and everything came out quickly. As far as the food goes this is one of the better dim sum places that I've been to and I will be coming back with other friends to try this out. read more

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Wow! I ordered 5 dishes and 3-4 pieces come with each order. Everything I ordered was so delicious! My favorite was the Deep Fried Eggplant with Shrimp -tender eggplant with a crispy topping of lightly battered & fried shrimp. The Wontons in Hot & Spicy Sauce was the perfect level of spice-enjoyable (the sauce makes a great dipping sauce for the other items). The Steamed Rice Roll w/Shrimp & Chinese Chives had a beautiful texture to the rice roll and the shrimp as was perfectly cooked. The Sui Mai/Shrimp Pork Dumplings w/Shrimp had an eggy flavor to me-still yummy but, I'll pass on that the next time. Clean restaurant and friendly service. Happy Hour 3pm-6pm read more

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We walked in on a weekday and it was pretty quiet which is intriguing given the other restaurants have wait times. The unfortunate first impression is a mild smell of sewage that kind of puts you off. Once they sat us down it kind of went away and you learned to live with it. The food was actually pretty good and the reason I gave it 3 stars, we have had plenty of traditional authentic dim sum so we know that for what you are getting it's overpriced. I thought the taste was pretty accurate except for the BBQ pork bun which I believe is their take on it. It has a flaky pastry texture which we thought complimented well. The environment was clean and nice. Service was also pretty good and quite quick in serving our food. Would we go back? I think it's a possibility but have an expectation that your paying a little bit extra for the reputation. read more

Tim Ho Wan - BBQ pork bun and Steamed Rice Roll With Shrimp And Chinese Chives - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

I love this placebecause it's a no nonsense dim sum place, has all the staples, the sizes are great and large and the price is not super expensive. I pretty much come here whenever i'm in OC for dim sum. Tried other places but they couldn't compete. :) read more

I was visiting my boyfriend at work (he works at the same plaza) and we decided to try this place because we saw the happy hour sign in the window and I have to say it was a lot better than I had expected due to their mediocre reviews. Food 8/10 some dishes we're definitely better than others but overall not bad Ambiance -I can't truly judge this bc we came on a weekday around 4:30 for happy hour so it wasn't that busy Service -10/10 the waitress was very attentive and super helpful when we asked for suggestions Happy hour- 10/10 3pm-6pm $3 sake & Sapporo! And happy hour menu includes a lot of popular dishes! I would def recommend trying it out for yourself! read more

Tim Ho Wan - Happy hour bill - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

I was blessed as a immigrant that my friends were all from different races and cultures so I learned their ways and forms in my life mixing them with my culture. Because of them I was able to try Dim Sum in various places. When I had my first Dim Sum experience at a Cantonese Restaurant in Diamond Bar, it was amazingly delicious. After that we always had a hit and a miss wherever we have been to. I have tried Dim Sum in different cities all over Southern CA but this one was really bad. First thing was the sewage smell all over the restaurant especially in the corner we were sitting. We even tried telling that to the servers and they just ignored us. First I thought it was just food smell coming from kitchen, but when it started becoming intense is when I piped up and asked them ti change our table. The ambiance was spacious enough that we thought changing tables would help with the smell. After we were able to change our tables, the smell was still lingering and it wouldn't just go away! then the food arrived! . Each Dim Sum plate was around that $8 to $15 range. Their dishes were just not tasting right at all. We actually thought the rice paper pork was spoilt. The pork was not flavorful and the sauce it was drenched in was absolutely horrible, the shrimp was very blend, there was absolutely no flavor in noodles. The only thing we really cared for was the rice. This restaurant is in Irvine especially in the Alton Jamboree strip mall where there are various Asian Cuisine restaurants and I was not expecting this. We are definitely not going back here. read more

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Super hyped place given its lineage as a Michelin starred place in Hong Kong and dim sum wise I can say it delivers. It is one of the best dim sum experiences that I've had, albeit also the priciest. No push carts around here but they do bring things out to order from the kitchen. Service is pretty good and the restaurant itself is clean and aesthetically pleasing. They also got a locker and takeout situation figured out. It's also surprisingly empty for lunch and dinner the two times I was in the plaza. Tried four things and most of them were stellar. Haven't had sticky rice in forever and the lotus leaf sticky rice is packed with a good amount of rice, Chinese sausage, chicken and mushrooms. The chili oil on the table is a great compliment to it. The legendary bbq pork buns are also very good - sweet pork, crisp baked buns that you can definitely crush a few of those. And the lava sesame balls for dessert are easily the best sesame balls I've ever had. Fried fresh and molten egg custard are hard to beat, just don't burn yourself eating it. The pan fried rice rolls with xo sauce are seasoned well but the rice rolls are a bit flimsier than I expected. They definitely look more like rice cakes and even though I knew they were rice rolls, I still was still surprised by the texture. Probably the dish I could do without if I did it over. All in all, great food, ok portions but definitely overpriced. read more

I'm surprised by the rating for this place! Me and my group went for Easter lunch time and there was an expected wait. We were pretty hungry but it was worth it because we were amazed by the food! They did have the staples though such as the Har Gow, Xiu Mai, and Steam Rice Rolls. Dumplings and Rice Rolls were a 5/5. Pan Fried Rice Noodles (5/5) - Has that nice char flavor and not too salty. The rolls were chewy and soft and they have a good portion! Chili Wontons (5/5) - Taste similar to Din Tai Fung's sauce. It was really good and we used the sauce to dip our dumplings. Beef Stew (5/5) - The broth is so flavorful and meaty! This one was one of our favorites. Turnip Cake (4/5) - These were good, not the highlight of the meal but is always a must order when I eat dimsum. Egg Roll with Egg & Shrimp (3/5) - Not our fave. Not much seasoning in the filling. The staff was friendly and checked on our table multiple times. The food came out fresh and hot. I have nothing to complain about other than I wish they offered more on the menu! read more

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Food was incredible. I've had enough Chinese food in my lifetime to make this statement. Stumbled upon this spot and will absolutely be back. Service was great, probably slightly understaffed, but it's ok. The noodles w/ pork was the fave!!!! The beef noodle soup was good, but we weren't fans of the noodles. Just the beef on top... read more

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I've been following this place on Instagram and was excited to check it out with my kids. We eat a lot of dim sum and this place was not as good as I thought it would be. The service was fast and friendly. Our table dishes utensils were clean. But the har Chung (long rolled rice noodles with shrimp) seem hastily made- the noodle skin was thin and not steamed together so when we picked it up, the shrimp pieces all fell out. We always order this dish at dim sum and have never had it like this. The bean curd rolls were coated in a sweeter not savory sauce which I wasn't into. My girls loved the sticky rice and Baos though. I don't think we would return. read more

Tim Ho Wan - Sticky rice, char sui bao, spicy wontons, har gaw, har chung - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

food is always great and high quality. leo was an excellent host and was very helpful. would definitely come back

I don't know this place gets so much hate. Is it expensive? Yes, if you're comparing it to SGV prices. No, if you remember that your are eating in IRVINE! The BBQ Pork Buns are legit! So good. Can't find anything like this anywhere else. Service is great. Attentive wait staff that check in on you often. The facilities are decent. Nothing to write home about, but I'm mainly here for the good food! Must order BBQ Pork Bun Har Gow Siu Mai Pan-fried turnip cake Sesame Balls with egg custard Any of the Lychee cocktails read more

Tim Ho Wan - B1. Baked BBQ Pork Buns (3 Pc) - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

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My sister took me and the rest of the fam here for dinner during the holidays. Was curious on why this place has so many reviews and turns out that Tim Ho Wan is a dim sum restaurant chain with a Michelin star. Ah. Well, I do take Michelin star ratings with a grain of salt and funny that I say that because most of the food that I tried here was bland. Even my go-to dim sum food, spicy chili wontons, barely had any taste and spice. I did say most of the food though, as the steamed dumplings were a hit; actually tasty and very succulent. I definitely recommend getting those. 3 stars for the food but I added another star because the service was very friendly (albeit a little scatterbrained as the place seemed pretty understaffed at the time.....they gave us food that was meant for another table but since they already placed it on our table it was on the house lol). Eh, I'd say go here if you're really craving for some dim sum. Just make sure to get multiple orders of the steamed dumplings! Parking: I don't live in the area so I wasn't aware how hectic the Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center gets. The parking lot here on a weekend evening is a bigger war zone than at a Costco. Just head straight into the multilevel parking garage for no-fuss parking. read more

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my favorite dimsum place i recommend this to everyone . and rhe staff are friendly. unusual for a chinese restaurant.

Impressed by the excellent and quick service (dine-in) for orders and drinks. However had to drop the rating for the dinner food quality- hot & sour soup was only lukewarm, teabag instead of tea leaves, yang chow fried rice under-salted and lacking flavor, turnip cake not crispy. My guess is that they were probably leftovers from lunch because Chinese people mainly eat dim sum 9am-2pm and they didn't bother to make fresh ones for dinner. Lunasia, on the other hand, serves FRESH dim sum all day & night long. read more

Tim Ho Wan - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

This place gets a bad rap. Before coming here, I got a little worried with reading the reviews. I was expecting insects, dirtiness, and poor quality food. I was coming here for a group lunch and I was not in charge of selecting the location. I was pleasantly surprised though. Tim Ho Wan exceeded my expectations. Service and food were great. Ambiance was good too. We had a group of 7 people and we ordered a good variety of dishes from the menu. Some of my favorites included steam dumplings with shrimp, baked bbq pork buns, shrimp shu mai, deep fried dumplings with pork, lava custard sesame ball (dessert), pan fried turnip cake, pan fried noodles, fried rice, etc. The chili sauce they have on the table was GOLD. So delish! I would definitely return here. There were so many notable items, and honestly very tasty. Service was fine too. It was great to come here as a group and get to nibble and try a lot of things. Don't shy away from this place based on the reviews/3 star rating. They definitely deserve higher than this. read more

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