This place took me back home to SF CA, Chinatown. I have not had egg flower soup with fried shredded wonton on top in decades! Everything presented was made the same way as the food that I ate back home in the 80s and 90s. Yesterday I enjoyed: egg flower soup sweet and sour pork donut puff fried egg rolls crab rangoon I ate half and then enjoyed the other half for lunch today. I'll have to keep going back because it reminds me so much of home. I'm so happy to have found this place! read more

Great food. Best curry chicken I've had in a while and the service is always the best.

we went at 1115 on a Friday for lunch. mom ordered he walnut shrimp, S ordered beef and broccoli, i ordered the lemon chicken. mom thought the egg drop soup was too spicy, so if you have acstrong aversion to spice, I'd avoid it. it's probably OK for normal folks. the hot and sour soup was very thick, I wasn't a real fan of it. S upgraded to wonton soup, that looked really good, lots of veggies and big wontons. it comes with choice of soup and egg roll or crab Rangoon. I ate S's spring rolls. it also came with a sugar bun. all three were delicious. I tried a bite of everyone's food. it was all good. I loved the lemon sauce. I anticipated chicken chunks in a light batter. this was a flattened chicken breast breaded and fried crispy. they cut the chicken into stripes but not bites. I had to ask for a knife. I would have loved some veggies in my meal. I did use the bathroom. it was clean but definitely needs a lot of TLC, a lot. service was great. I did love that lemon sauce with my rice. read more

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Just to update, after eating here a few more times, I think this place is better than I originally thought. Chinese broccoli, lotus leaf wraps, and chicken feet have become my go-to dim sum dishes. Service is always nice and attentive, even when the place is packed to the brim. Compared to another place I tried in Omaha, Wong's blew them out of the water. Definitely recommend! read more

Wong's Chopsticks - Pan fried pork pot sticker and combo rice wrap - Dim Sum Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Ahh, Johnston. I found myself there today so I had to go to Wong's Chopsticks and enjoy their awesome Sunday dim sum. It was only my second time, but everything was as just as enjoyable as the first visit. Yeah, it's in a little strip mall, but the cozy shop cranks out seriously delicious steamed bites. Arrived a little after noon and the place was pretty full. I think at least two tables had families parked at them, and I can' t blame them; dim sum is perfect for sharing (and fighting over) with your loved ones. We ditched the menus when the waitress came over and she gave us the dim sum ticket. After a couple of minutes we'd made our selections, ordered drinks, and waited. Then waited some more. And after that, we waited a wee bit more. Again; the place was hopping, so the delay was understandable. On top of that, I believe it's a only a husband and wife team running the show so their outstanding hustle and personal attention to the customers should be applauded. But what made the wait all the more tortuous (in my mind, at least) was seeing all the delicious food coming out of the kitchen, parading past us, to be delivered to other tables. One such dish (we asked the waitress the name) was the fried shrimp balls. I think it's an appetizer, but catching sight of two separate orders of those golden, ragged-edged crunchables, plied high on the plate, made us want to have a second chance at that menu. When our food finally came, it was only the shao mai and chicken feet at first, but we dug immediately. The shao mai was fantastic, of course, and we really should've just put in two orders because they were inhaled so fast. The chicken feet were...well, chicken feet. Wouldn't really describe them delectable, but the flavor was alright. You're not really going for meat when eating chicken feet (because there isn't any), and most people don't pursue them for their texture, so flavor is what you're left with. They were basically ordered for tradition's sake; we had a dim sum neophyte with us today, and this was his initiation. He passed. Barely. The rest of our initial order arrived and we made quick work of that as well. Shrimp and chive dumplings, har gow, and bbq pork bao were enjoyed by all. I think the "Special Shrimp Har Gow" had cilantro in it, which I can't praise enough. And I think the dumplings had broccoli in there too, which is crazy, but it absolutely worked. It was all great, but we didn't want to stop there so we got our dim sum ticket again and ticked off a few more selections. Because the place was clearing out, our food got to us much faster this time. The sticky rice was okay, and definitely lived up to its name once I Rubik's-cubed it out of its lotus leaf. The scallop and shrimp dumplings were delicate, piping hot, and delicious. I abstained from the broccoli due to price (11 bucks!), but my dining companions said it may have been the best dish of the entire meal. I'm a little skeptical of that, but I sampled a little of the sauce and admit it tasted pretty good. All told, it was another great trip to Wong's. I don't know if they're the only dim sum game in Des Moines since Heavenly Asian Cuisine & Lounge closed, but I'm pretty sure they're the best. read more

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I would definitely give more stars if the wait for Dim Sum wasn't soooo long. I've tried it five different times throughout my eight years being back and the wait time is just a little too long for me. BUT service otherwise is great. They are all nice and courteous. I know it's all homemade and it takes awhile but when they quote you a 45 minute pickup time for Dim Sum and you have to wait an additional 30 minutes after arriving to pick-up, it's just tiring. This is family-owned and ran, so same staff. The Dim Sum itself really is good for what we can get here. I recommend the Shrimp Rice Rolls and the Steamed Ribs. The Siu Mai isn't that bad and the Shrimp Haw Gow was good. Make sure you ask for chili oil to go with your meal! I also like the Beef Rice Noodles and the Oyster-sauced veggies. Their Salt and Pepper Shrimp is good as well on their regular menu. All-in-all, we would be back. Just might give them extra time for the Dim Sum prep so I don't have to wait so long when I get there. read more

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I ordered the salt and pepper shrimp and added on the "dinner special" which included 3 rangoons or 3 eggs rolls + soup + steamed rice or fried rice for a small upcharge. I enjoyed my meal and would definitely go back for the same thing or try something new. The staff were also friendly and attentive. P.S. I ate a few pieces of shrimp before I took the photo so it definitely comes with more shrimp than what is seen in the pic! read more

Wong's Chopsticks - Salt and pepper shrimp - Dim Sum Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Visiting for a graduation and surprised to see dim sum offered and had to give it a try. It was steamed to order which is very nice and it was really good dim sum. The staff were really nice and service was great!! They have dim sum on Saturday & Sundays only along with their regular menu. I ordered sui mai, ribs with black bean sauce, sticky rice in lotus leaf, shrimp/chive dumplings,special shrimp har gaw, steamed bbq pork buns, salt baked calamari & bok choy sautéed with garlic. Check them out!! read more

I really enjoy Wong's Chopstick -- mostly for their customer service. This family is seriously a gem. I will continue to frequent Wong's purely for the services. That being said, today's review is focused on their dim sum. Des Moines is lacking in this space. After months without dim sum, My cravings got the best of me. I NEEDED my dim sum fixing. In comes Wong's Chopsticks to the rescue. Fair warning, if you've had dim sum before, lower your expectations. Here's what I had and my impression on each dish: Fried dumpling -- this item supposedly has pork and shrimp filling. It's mostly fried glutinous flour with very little filling. Sticky rice in lotus leaf -- mainly just rice, they have a few tiny pieces of Chinese sausage but missing mushrooms or any other meats... $2.50 for a Ball of flavored rice. That's awful Chicken feet -- flavor is decent but, the phalanges were cold. Definitely needed to be heated more. Not a big deal, I don't mind cold chicken feet. Bok choy -- perfectly flavored with garlic and ginger. Also, very large portion! Combo rice wrap -- too much rice noodle and no protein, not enough sauce Har gow -- good size and stuffed to the brim! Usually dim sum restaurants serve very small bar gow with little filling. Surprisingly Wong's did not skimp on the filling her. This is one of my favorite dim sum dishes. I'll stick to har gow at Wong's from now on. Sui mai -- large portions, arrived at our table a bit cool. Not an issue, it still tasted delicious. Porridge / congee -- The consistency and taste was perfect! I wish they'd give more century eggs and served the congee with youtiao. Overall, I'm happy to find dim sum locally. This will suffice until I make it to a nearby Chinatown! read more

Wong's Chopsticks - Chicken feet, bar b que pork buns, har gow, and hot chili oil - Dim Sum Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

I was ecstatic DSM has a dim sum restaurant and had to give this place a try. It was a bit annoying that this service is only available on Sunday's. After going through the limited items on the dim sum and regular menu. It's worth a revisit for the dumplings and Chinese broccoli dish alone. I enjoyed the "Beef Ho Fun" which is a thick rice noodles in a savory brown sauce. read more

I drive about an hour to have their Dim Sum which is only available on certain weekend hours. It's all so delicious and the owners are very cordial and nice. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Came here for dim sum and thought it was pretty good for being the only dim sum place but what I do not appreciate is when they write their own tip included and think you won't notice. I'm sorry that I can't give you more than what you wanted for a tip but shouldn't you be considerate how much others may make hourly and how we decide to spend our money is limited? I ended up over drafting due an increase in price without even letting us know and I think that's just cruel because now I owe more money when I haven't been able to treat myself in ages to my home dishes!! Their food is over priced but with literally no staff, their wait time is ridiculous so you know they aren't paying anyone other than themselves. And their metal trays had rust on them which is a huge health concern if the food is being steamed with these trays PILED ON EACH OTHER!! And With the amount of people that come often the place is pretty ran down, it felt like they cared more about how their appearance and life style looked like gold and jade jewelry that I know isn't fake, than the shop. which is fine you're allowed to splurge on yourself! So with that being said if I write something down on my check and you rewrite something else I think that's greedy and you should reconsider what others go through. read more

After reading the reviews, we decided to give this a try. It was our first visit. The restaurant is clean and the staff very friendly. Service was fast. when the eggrolls and the crab Rangoon arrived our hopes were high that we had found a new place. They were very good, as was the soup. When our main courses came out, they were very generous (dinner menu) and could have fed us both with one. However, then our hopes fell flat. I ordered the beef with peapods in a light brown sauce. It was gummy and thick and I didn't care for the sauce. The peapods were also limp without the snap you usually get. My friend ordered cashew chicken, which tasted lighter and without the gummy texture, yet still had asauce without much flavor and had very few cashews. All in all, we may write it off as an off night and give it another try, but this visit was not very tasty. read more

Such a nice place to have great comfort food! We could choose Americanized food which we did but we were delighted to find out you could order off the menu too! Dim Sum wasn't available tonight but I bet it's awesome!! Lovely people/owners so nice to visit with too! read more

Most authentic Chinese food in the area hands down! If you haven't tried I highly recommend

Dim sum at Wong's Chopsticks. I was first introduced to dim sum when I was stationed in Philadelphia and honestly I've only given it one shot in Des Moines... Years ago at a place called Kwong (something) down on Ingersoll. It was okay...but not the same. We all know the food scene is changing in the metro and with Chopsticks and Heavenly Asian offering dim sum (and a few recent posts about them) I thought it was about time to give one of them another shot. I hadn't been to Wong's since they were in Waukee. I used to eat there when I was getting my vehicle serviced at Shottenkirk. The Johnston location is a cozy space. About 12 tables that sit between four and six each. I was greeted right away, told to sit wherever I wanted, and was offered both the regular menu and the dim sum menu. I ordered the following: Hot tea. Pork dumpling Shao Mai. Scallop and shrimp dumpling. Pan fried pork pot stickers. Steamed barbecued pork buns. The hot tea was brought out right away. Then the dumplings, pot stickers, and pork buns. The Shao Mai came out a little later...hot with the steam still rising off of them. I kind of miss cart service still, but getting the items fresh out of the kitchen has it's advantages too. Everything was very good. The pork buns were a little bread heavy as someone else had mentioned, but you can't argue that they weren't cooked perfectly. The bread had a beautiful texture and the pork had a sweet flavor. All of the other items had ample filling and tasted very good. The texture of the steamed dumpling wrappers can take a little bit to get used to if all you know are the standard pot stickers that are steamed and then fried crispy on one side. Hang in there...you get used to it. Like with sushi the different sauces and chilies/hot oil are your friends. I feel the need to mention one thing. I had some cross contamination with a piece of my Shao Mai. There were chunks of shrimp in it as well as pork. Only in one of the four pieces that I noticed... I have no food allergies, but this isn't the same for everyone. If you have an allergy you may want to make that very clear to your server. I arrived around 1030 AM and left shortly before 1130 AM. At any given time there were only three or four tables seated. Mostly middle-aged and older people, but a few kids too. The location is at the North end of the strip mall and there's a handicapped ramp available a few doors down by the Jenny Craig center. My final bill came to $18.55 before tip. I'll definitely be going back to Wong's Chopsticks and I'm looking forward to trying out Heavenly Asian's dim sum soon too. read more

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Big turnaround and a definite improvement from a few years ago. My policy is to never shit on a family owned business especially if it's a restaurant. Always tell the truth but if you don't have anything nice to say... Before, it wasn't great, it wasn't terrible but nothing to write home about. There were a few dishes that were pretty decent; rice rolls, chow fun, dim sum was not bad and really the only game in town. I came back after a 2 year hiatus and I'm impressed. Sunday dim sum, high noon, about 7 tables occupied. The first dish came in exactly 5 min after our order. That would've taken half an hour before. I had the pai gu, steamed buns, dumplings, chow fun, and a few more dim sum must haves. Everything came out mouth burning hot and delicious. The thing that never changed is the huge portion sizes, now it's just more of a good thing. What to order? Try everything, seriously. If you never had dim sum, it's just like tapas or Asian brunch happy hour. They're small plates that you just end up ordering too many of because everything is under 6 bucks and you forgot the portions are huge. Maybe that's just me. It's not an extensive list but they got the necessities. Tldr: harder, better, faster, stronger. Good dim sum now even better. Updated dining area, quicker kitchen, awesome family, same place. I'll see ya soon. read more

We were over at one of the car dealerships and had some time to grab a bite to eat. They salesman recommended here and it was fantastic. We will definitely be back. So good. read more

First time at this location. You would miss it driving on merle hay but I recommend you stop by. PROs - nice atmosphere - large portion sizes - friendly service - good prices CONS - food took a bit to be served (only had one waiter) Will definitely stop by again! read more

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Can't find anything like this in DSM IA. They're a little hit or miss but food is always good amd sometimes it's great.

This place doesn't look like much and it's kinda hidden on Merle Hay but it's worth the drive. Friends had recommended this place and we decided to give it a try. They're food is pretty good and their staff is so sweet! When we went we saw one waitress but she did a great job at attending every table and we went during a busier time too. I recommend this place if you love Chinese food. They give you big portions and offer a dinner meal that is worth it! Try Chopsticks if you're in the area! read more

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Dim sum is very good. Looks like the only one in the Des Moines area. Only served on Saturday and Sunday

Not the most friendliest people. However it was very clean inside. The food is mediocre mostly flavorless but good quality ingredients I could at least tell that much. I probably would return if they were a little friendlier but based on that alone I will not be returning. The good thing is if prefer no meat in your rice like I do you can get a huge thing of fried rice for $6.00 that's a pretty sweet deal. read more

This place is a total joke, their dim sum sucks. The frozen dim sum that I bought from a local Asian supermarket taste better than theirs. Don't waste your money!! read more

I've been to Chopsticks a few times on weekdays for their regular menu, and it was very good. But for me, the HUGE draw is dim sum on Saturday and Sunday. A wide variety of dim sum choices. Also, one can request salt and pepper squid, which they'll make for you if they have those ingredients on hand. It's excellent! read more

First time at Wong's Chopsticks. I am fairly new to Des Moines from Seattle where there is a pretty solid Chinese community. Not so much here, so the bar is low. They were out of the regular rice noodles (I am guessing the wide ones) and so the waitress suggested a different style with curry. It was Taiwan style thin rice noodles that are one of my favorite. They also brought chilli oil and crisps when asked. It could use some wok hey, but was the best I have had in the area. Tried the orange beef to see how the americanized cuisine was. Beef was cooked perfectly. Sauce was way too sweet and not hot. We will definitly be back and be more communicative with our order. Also as is required in the metro: Crab rangoons are great. read more

Excellent quality of Chinese food! In comparison to similar places in the metro, this food rises above the rest. Ambiance and service are average but the food is so well prepared and tasty that it is well worth the trip. If you don't know where to start, i recommend the teriyaki chicken - so good! read more

We were passing through Iowa on our way to our NY, We found this place on Yelp because we wanted dim sum. The lady who waited on us was very friendly and nice. The food was very good and the price was not bad either. I would definitely recommend this place. Oh, they also gave us free dessert- sugar donuts-yum! read more

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I love this restaurant. I've never eaten inside here and only order to go since we live close by. The food we usually order is very tasty. I've never ordered dim sum that some people are rating low, but we've ordered almond chicken, pork with vegetables, beef with snow peas, tofu dishes and others. The quantity of food provided is huge, and I've never received poor quality. I'm glad that they now use containers that don't leak if they are tilted slightly like they used in 2020. read more

The food is delicious. The potstickers are so tasty, a must have. They are a small family business so please support local!

Caught eye of this little hideaway one day driving by. We got craving for Chinese a few days later which put us as a walk in on a Tuesday early evening. Beating the diner rush is great and that is what we did. The gentleman at the counter sat us right down. We ordered right up and got a giggle off the spelling of the item "Bork". Each of us did normal dinner meals for our first visit. Each dinner came with egg roll, crab Rangoon, soup, rice and entree. I got a cup of hot tea for $.50 !!!! Perfect. The soup and smaller yummies came out first. The soup was great! I liked the tofu in the egg drop soup and the crispy noodles on top. All nice and hot. I mean I could hear the eggrolls still sizzle as he put them on the table. The meals followed shortly after. Piping hot and he said the sauce was really good to the Braised Bork ( pork) ;). I got the Orange peel chicken. It was delicious. I had the white rice and was almost full from the other food and thought this meal was good. We both tried each other's meal and it was really good. As we chilled and enjoyed our quiet meal. The phone was ringing off the hook. Call after call for to go orders coming in. This place might as well put in a revolving door cause that's how many people came in as we sat and enjoyed our meal. I will definitely be calling in an order to go! I am pretty sure there was just the one man and one lady in the kitchen. My only reason I'm not giving this local spot a 5 is the menus needed cleaning and the walls along the tables really need a wipe down. The food was really good and next time I am ordering something completely different cause I know the food is good. read more

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Sooooo good. Very nice staff. Great prices. Great food. Good size portions. Nice clean place.

Arrived around 10:30 on a Sunday for dim sum. Noticed immediately that we were the only non-Chinese patrons and got excited that the food would be authentic. It did not disappoint. The menu explains most items which is helpful. We got the roast chicken and the barbecue steam buns, garlic rib tips, the porridge and another item I don't recall the name but it was fried with ground pork and veggies. All items were flavorful although the rib tips had a lot of chunks of fat. The porridge was much improved with the addition of salt. I would have liked an array of sauces on the table other than the chili oil and soy sauce. The prices are great. Two of us left super full and only spent fourteen dollars. read more

Wong's Chopsticks - An array of dim.sum items. - Dim Sum Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Reasonable Prices, Great Service, and Amazing Food. I came for the Dim Sum and it did not disappoint. Tasted fresh and authentic. Definitely check out the Dim Sum menu during the weekend! read more

ATTENTION: There is dim sum in DSM, Iowa!! I throughly enjoyed the weekend dim sum today. There were four in our group, arriving at 11. We were immediately seated and started picking out our items. For the dim sum here, there are no carts. You chose from a list and mark off what you want to eat. We had bbq pork buns, shrimp dumplings, fried shrimp balls, pork dumplings, sweet buns, and more! We had a pork rice wrap, which I wasn't a huge fan of because it's a gooey wrapping that falls apart and it's hard to cut. It tasted good--just difficult to eat. But that's the fun of dim sum! You try it all! You bet I'll be back! (In the meantime, Wong's, please please please get pineapple buns? Those are my favorite and so hard to find!) read more

Let me start off by saying that I consider myself extremely well qualified when it comes to rating Chinese Dim Sum. I have been eating Dim Sum for over 50 years in some of the finest restaurants in the world. My first exposure to Dim Sum was in a teahouse in Hong Kong in the 1970s. Since then, I have enjoyed Dim Sum in the best teahouses in Shanghai, New York, San Francisco, Bangkok, Chicago, Toronto, and other cities throughout the world. I have also been taught Chinese cooking by the owner of one of the finest Chinese restaurants in Chicago and I still prepare Chinese meals at home today. Since retiring several years ago, I moved to Iowa to live close to my daughter. Obviously, the Chinese restaurants in Iowa don't come close to excellent Chinese restaurants I have enjoyed throughout the world, but I miss Dim Sum. It appears that the only Dim Sum available in the Des Moines area is at Wong's Chopstick in Johnston. However, I was curious to see whether Wong's could serve up a decent Dim Sum. The answer is yes, but mostly, no. Wong's restaurant needs serious updating and renovation. The atmosphere resembles a 1950s chop suey joint. A complete remolding is in order, repaint the walls, get rid of the cheap pictures and all the Hello Kitty decorations and brighten the lighting. This Ma and Pa operation needs a total remake. On Sunday I called to order carry out Dim Sum from Wong's. Even though I called well ahead, the order was not ready when promised and it took a good 20 minutes after I arrived before it was ready. Also, the prices have increased from those pictured on Yelp but, this is understandable given what is happening to costs in 2021. Here are my comments on the dishes ordered. Steamed Spareribs in black bean sauce: A generous order of pork. Typically, these steamed ribs are on the bone, however, the bone portion of the ribs was not existent. Decent flavor but would not order again ($3.25) Chicken feet with black bean sauce: Proper preparation of this dish calls for the chicken feet to be first fried and then steamed. Wong's seems to have omitted frying the feet and just steamed them which made them unattractively mushy and lacking any texture. Would not order again. ($2.85) Scallop and shrimp dumplings: Other than the fact the dumpling skin was two thick, this dish was acceptable, 4 ($6.95). The same description holds true for the Special Shrimp Har Gow, 4 ($4.85) and the Steam Shrimp and Chive Dumpling, 4 ($5.95) Might order again. Pan fried pork pot stickers: I have had better pot stickers else ware; however, these pan-fried dumplings were acceptable and might order again, 6 ($7.95). Shrimp Rice Wrap: Like the Har Gow and Shrimp dumplings, the wrapper around the shrimp was overly thick and dominated this dish. Typically, the wrapper around the shrimp is very thin, almost crepe like which allows the shrimp to be the star of the dish. Wong's does include three large shrimp in each wrap which is a generous serving, good flavor but too much noodle, would not order again 2 ($7.95). Wong's needs to make its own homemade noodle wrappers for its dishes rather than using commercial noodles. If Wong's noodle wrappers are in fact homemade, they need to be thinner. Pork Dumpling Shu Mai: The order includes 4 dumplings and was one of the better items that I ordered today. I would probably order this again ($3.85). read more

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Have been enjoying food from Wong's Chopsticks for a couple years now, and during covid they were fantastic with carry out service. We love everything here - soups, app's, dim sum (so happy to have dim sum nearby!), & so many of their main dishes. The family that runs the restaurant is wonderful, and we always order enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Lots of great choices to choose from on their menu! read more

Every time I go in I'm amazed with the customer service and quality of food. The portions size is great for the money.

Don't eat in as the service is neatly non existent. They only have 2, maybe 3 people working at most. not mention the atmosphere is bleak. Lady at cash register, assume the owner, waits tables and services the carry out customers as well, so service to dine in customers is slow. Very slow. If you call in for carry out and they tell you your order will be ready in 30 minutes, add 20 minutes minimum to that timeline. Food is normal des moines Chinese quality. read more

I love Dim Sum and was so happy to see that there was a place that served it (only on Saturday and Sunday over lunch). The staff are wonderful and very friendly. I took my daughters (ages 15, 12, 9) for their first Dim Sum experience and they loved it! Here are my suggestions of what to order from my favorite to least: 1) Chinese broccoli - a must!! 2) Fried Shrimp ball - if you like shrimp, then definitely get these! 3) Steamed BBQ pork bun - very fluffy and delicious 4) Pan Fried pork pot stickers - these were huge and crispy with a big pork meatball inside 5) Sweet custard buns - Yummy! They taste like cake, so a great dessert. 6) Fried dumplings - I really wanted to like these more but there was hardly any filling. They were yummy and crispy on the outside but so much uncooked dough inside that was very gelatinous. If they added more filling, less dough and fried them long they would be great because the flavor I definitely there, but the texture was all wrong. 6)Special Shrimp Har Gow - won't order again. There really wasn't a ton of flavor. We are looking forward to our next trip! We really wanted Shao Mai (pork dumpling) but they were out. We will be getting those next time! read more

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