Every Dim Sum Service Worth Going to in NYC

Courtesy of Hakkasan
Courtesy of Hakkasan

Things every New Yorker needs: 1) money, 2) other money, and 3) a list of every single restaurant in NYC with quality dim sum. And since exactly zero New Yorkers have that last one, we decided to try our hand at creating it. After scouring Chinatown, Flushing, and everywhere in between, we came up with this: FORTY-THREE restaurants in TEN NYC 'hoods, all of which have real-deal dim sum service (and not jut some BS little section on an otherwise regular menu).

If we missed any (which we don't think we did), let us know in the comments (as if you weren't going to anyway).

Mike Berlin

Ping’s Seafood
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 10:30am-4pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Steamed crab dumplings with leeks, cilantro, and roe; seafood-stuffed chili peppers with garlic and breadcrumbs

Dim Sum Go Go
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 10am-10:30pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Pumpkin cakes; mushrooms stuffed with seafood paste

Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Chinatown
Hours: Sun-Thur 10:30am-9pm, Fri-Sat 10:30am-10pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Taro dumplings with pork and dried mushrooms; roast pork bun; lots of gluten-free options

Buddha Bodai
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 10am-4pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Mock-shrimp* dumplings; mock-meat* bun (*all dishes are vegetarian and kosher)

Jing Fong
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 10am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Pan-fried fish cake with Chinese sausages; green bean pastry puffs; ROVING CHAMPAGNE CART

Vegetarian Dim Sum House
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 10:30am-10:30pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Mashed taro treasures boxes; mock-roast pork buns

88 Palace
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 9am-4pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Salt-baked squid; steamed dumplings with pork and peanuts

Oriental Garden
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 10am-4pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Taro with shrimp; lotus leaf sticky rice

Shanghai Cafe
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 11:30am-10pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Fried tiny pork buns; Shanghai wonton soup with shepherd’s purse

Flickr/Chris Goldberg (Edited)

Hop Shing
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 7am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Baked pork bun; coconut bun

Excellent Dumpling House
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 11am-9pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Scallion pancake; chicken dumpling soup

Red Egg
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 10am-11pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Spareribs with olive sauce; egg cream rolls

Golden Unicorn
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 9:30am-3:30pm 
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Pork shumai; pineapple buns

Grand Harmony Restaurant
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 8:30am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Steamed shrimp hakao; stuffed noodles

Mandarin Court
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 11am-4pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Crispy Buddha’s delight roll; fried squid with spicy salt

456 Shanghai Cuisine
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 11am-4pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Steamed juicy buns with pork and crabmeat; fried tiny buns

27 Sunshine
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 9am-4pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Steamed shrimp hakao; clams in black bean sauce

Royal Seafood Restaurant
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 8am-2pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Sticky rice balls with peanuts and black sesame paste; turnip cake with dried shrimp, Chinese sausages, and scallions

Delight 28 Restaurant
Chinatown
Hours: Daily 8:30am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Deep-fried taco dumpling; steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce

Flickr/Kate (Edited)

The Bao
East Village
Hours: Sun-Wed 12-10:30pm, Thur-Sat 12-11:30pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Soup dumplings; chocolate steamed buns

Flickr/lulun & kame (Edited)

Dong Yi Feng
Flushing
Hours: Daily 9am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Bean curd-wrapped shrimp rolls; rice noodle-wrapped, deep-fried crullers with bean sprouts, carrots, and rice noodles

Asian Jewels Seafood
Flushing
Hours: Daily 9am-3:30pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Braised eggplant with seafood paste; banana rolls with custard and red bean paste

Jade Asian
Flushing
Hours: Daily 10am-2pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Soft rice noodle rolls with shrimp; steamed Malay sponge cake

Grand Restaurant
Flushing
Hours: Daily 9am-4pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Roast pork rice noodle roll; pineapple bun with roast pork filling

Grandma’s Dim Sum
Flushing
Hours: Daily 11am-3pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Shrimp and scallop dumplings; chicken and fish shumai

East Ocean Palace
Flushing
Hours: Daily 10am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Fried rice balls stuffed with crab meat; sweet bun with pineapple custard

Flickr/Krista (Edited)

Genting Palace
Jamaica
Hours: Wed-Sun 5pm-12am,  Fri-Sat 5pm-2am
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Black and white pearl dumplings; seafood crystal buns with shrimp, scallops, and jicama

Courtesy of Hakkasan

Hakkasan
Midtown West
Hours: Sun 5:30-10pm, Mon-Wed 5:30-11pm, Thur-Sat 5:30-12am, with a larger selection Sat-Sun 11:30am-3pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Roast duck pumpkin puff; chicken and abalone shumai

China Green Dim Sum
Midtown West
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5-11pm, Sat-Sun 12-10pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Sweet potato cake, lamb dumpling

Lychee House
Midtown East
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 12-10pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Coral dumplings with shrimp and broccoli stem, Malaysian fish balls with curry sauce

Flickr/Jason Lam (Edited)

New Spring Garden
Sunset Park
Hours: Daily 8am-2:30pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Shanghai lion’s head meatballs; braised pork rib and pumpkin

East Harbor Seafood Palace
Sunset Park
Hours: Daily 9am-3:30pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Rice rolls with fish paste and Chinese celery; green-tea Jell-O with red dates

Bamboo Garden
Sunset Park
Hours: Daily 8am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Sweet potato dumplings; pork, shrimp, and vegetable dumplings in leek broth

Park Asia
Sunset Park
Hours: Mon-Sun 8am-12am
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Deep-fried stuffed crab claw with shrimp; snail with fish flavor sauce

Pacificana
Sunset Park
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-3:30pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm
Service: Cart 
Must-have dishes: Cold marinated chicken feet with jelly fish; crispy pork tripe with picked cabbage

New Spring Garden Restaurant
Sunset Park
Hours: Daily 8am-2pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Fried cruller wrapped in rice noodle; pork dumplings with diced vegetables

Golden Imperial Palace
Sunset Park
Hours: Daily 8:30am-3:30pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Steamed shrimp rolls; roast pork buns

Cafe Evergreen

Cafe Evergreen
Upper East Side
Hours: Sat-Sun 11am-3pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Stuffed eggplant with shrimp pate; beef roll in bean curd

Evan Sung

Shun Lee
Upper West Side 
Hours: Mon-Fri 5pm-12am, with additional options Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-12am, and Sun 11:30am-2:30pm, 4:30-10pm
Service: Cart
Must-have dishes: Honey roast pork turnover; chicken feet in oyster sauce (weekends only)

RedFarm
Upper West Side
Hours: Mon-Thur 11:30am-3pm and 4:45-11pm, Fri 11:30am-3pm, 4:45-11:45pm, Sat 11am-3pm and 4:45-11:45pm, Sun 11am-3pm, 4:45-10:30pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Shrimp and mango fried wontons; five flavor chicken dumplings

Evan Sung

China Blue
West Village
Hours: Sat-Sun 11:30am-4pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Radish puffs with fried pastry, ham, and scallions; vegetable potstickers with bok choy, shiitake mushroom, carrot, and cellophane noodles

RedFarm
West Village
Hours: Mon-Fri 5-11:45pm, Sat 11am-2:30pm and 5-11:45pm, Sunday 11am-2:30pm and 5-11pm
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: “Pac-Man” dumplings; Katz’s pastrami egg rolls

Flickr/Sean Reynolds (Edited)

Snacky
Williamsburg
Hours: Sun-Thur 6pm-1am, Fri-Sat 6pm-3am
Service: Waiter
Must-have dishes: Wasabi shumai with pork; peanut chili wontons with peanut chili sauce

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Nina Stoller-Lindsey is a Brooklyn-based writer who's covered arts and culture for Time Out New York and New York Magazine. Reach out to her on Twitter or through her website with speakeasy endorsements or to debate the merits of growing up in New York City.