Dim sum is a meal where you point at a passing cart, grab a few small plates, and somehow end up with a table covered in dumplings, buns, and custard tarts. California has some of the best places in the country to eat this way, from giant banquet halls in the San Gabriel Valley to busy dining rooms in San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento.
This list covers seven restaurants that still roll out the carts and serve the classics, plus a few dishes you might not find anywhere else. Skip breakfast, bring friends who like to share, and save this list for your next weekend brunch.
1. NBC Seafood Restaurant, Monterey Park, CA
Early risers get a real advantage here, since the doors open at 8 AM every single day of the week. That makes NBC Seafood one of the easier dim sum stops in the San Gabriel Valley to fit into a morning plan.
The dining room is a huge banquet hall at 404 S Atlantic Blvd, and the carts keep moving through it. Expect a lively, busy scene on weekends, when crowds pack the place from morning into the afternoon.
The cart lineup covers the Cantonese basics well. Shrimp har gow, baked BBQ pork buns, fried shrimp gok, and fried taro gok are all regular picks.
The thousand egg and salted pork porridge is a comforting choice if you want something warm and simple between the fried items.
Vegetarians get more than a side of greens. The restaurant offers a full vegetarian menu, including a fried leek dumpling and a vegan haim sui gok.
I would save room for the seafood side of the menu too. Walnut shrimp, lobster, and crispy duck are popular reasons people stay past the dumplings.
Plan on a wait during weekend brunch, though reservations are accepted. A free parking lot helps, and weekday mornings are much calmer if you want a table without the line.
Takeout and delivery are available for dim sum at home.
2. 888 Seafood Restaurant, Rosemead, CA
Lobster noodles at a dim sum brunch might sound like a splurge, but 888 Seafood makes it part of the routine. The lobster noodle and the crab sticky rice are two of the signature plates that keep tables in Rosemead busy.
Hot carts roll through the dining room with the small plates. Look for the Chiu Chow style pork and peanut dumpling, which is a bit less common than your standard shumai.
Other good picks include steamed chicken feet in brown sauce, dumpling in soup with abalone, and a classic custard egg tart for dessert. The coconut shrimp and sweet pineapple buns are also worth flagging to your table.
Here is a small practical detail I like knowing ahead of time. Tea is charged per person, at around $1.50 each, so there are no surprises on the bill.
The restaurant sits at 8450 E Valley Blvd and is open daily from 9 AM to 9:30 PM. Beyond dim sum, the dinner menu leans into seafood and Cantonese banquet dishes like Peking duck and steamed fish.
Private rooms and a banquet space make it a solid choice for birthdays or family gatherings. Dinner reservations are recommended, and there is a free parking lot on site.
One heads-up: delivery is not offered, so plan on dining in or picking up.
3. Grand Palace Seafood Restaurant 富源酒家, South San Francisco, CA
From the sidewalk on Grand Avenue, this place looks modest. Step inside and the main hall opens up into a tall, palace-style room with high ceilings and two floors of seating.
That size is the reason Grand Palace hosts weddings and big family events. On a regular weekend, though, the space is all about trolley service and traditional dim sum.
The carts carry familiar favorites like shrimp har gow, siu mai, and fried shrimp balls. Baked egg custard tarts with flaky pastry are a sweet way to wrap things up.
For a bigger meal, the menu goes well beyond small plates. Peking duck with buns, honey walnut prawns, dual lobsters with e-fu noodle, and crab meat with fish maw soup all show up here.
The restaurant also offers full vegan and vegetarian menus, which is helpful when your group has mixed diets.
Timing matters because service runs in two blocks. Weekdays run 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM and 5 to 9 PM, while weekends open at 10 AM with lunch service until 3 PM.
Saturday and Sunday afternoons are the busiest stretch. Parking can be tricky nearby, so give yourself a few extra minutes to find a spot.
4. Yank Sing, San Francisco, CA
If your idea of dim sum includes white tablecloth polish, Yank Sing is the splurge on this list. It is a longtime San Francisco standby at 49 Stevenson St, and the carts are still the main event.
The Shanghai Kurobuta pork dumpling is the dish many first-timers aim for. Peking duck with bun, taro dumplings, and chicken feet round out the savory side.
Dessert gets real attention here. Sesame balls, mango pudding, egg custard tarts, and a bright orange jello give you more sweet options than most dim sum spots.
Prices run higher than the other stops, roughly $20 to $60 per person depending on how much you grab. The dishes are freshly made, and the setting is cleaner and more upscale than a typical banquet hall.
Hours are daytime only. Yank Sing is closed Monday, open 11 AM to 3 PM Tuesday through Friday, and 10 AM to 3 PM on weekends.
Reservations are recommended, and a wait is common even on weekdays. Downtown parking is tough, so paid lots or transit make life easier.
Outdoor seating is available, which is a nice bonus on a sunny city afternoon.
5. Jasmine Seafood Restaurant & Express, San Diego, CA
Convoy Street is the heart of San Diego’s Asian food scene, and Jasmine has long been the go-to name there for cart-style dim sum.
The dining room is big and built for groups. Rotating carts carry the classics, while the menu leans into seafood and Peking duck.
The fried stuffed crab claws are a standout worth flagging down. Deep-fried shrimp balls, soup dumplings, shrimp siu mai, and salt and pepper wings are other easy crowd pleasers.
Not in the mood for the full sit-down experience? The Express side has a takeout counter with favorites like salt and pepper shrimp and squid.
For dinner, Lobster Cantonese and hot and sour soup are two dishes that bring people back. Full vegan and vegetarian menus are also available.
Hours shift by day, so check before you go. Monday is lunch only from 10 AM to 3 PM, weekdays add a 5 to 8 PM dinner window, and weekends run 10 AM to 4:30 PM plus dinner.
Sunday morning is the peak rush, so expect a wait. Reservations are accepted, and the busy, family-friendly room makes it a fun place for a big group, just not a quiet one.
6. Dynasty Chinese Cuisine, San Jose, CA
Up to 500 guests can fit upstairs at Dynasty, which tells you a lot about how big this San Jose restaurant really is. It is a popular spot for wedding banquets, but on Sunday mornings it belongs to families at dim sum.
The restaurant sits at 1001 Story Rd in the Little Saigon area. Steam carts still move through the room, carrying bamboo baskets of the classics.
Shrimp rice noodle rolls are a strong starting point. Steamed spare ribs, chicken feet, and beef book tripe are here for more adventurous eaters, and Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce adds something green to the table.
The atmosphere is traditional and old-school, which is part of the appeal. Prices are reasonable for this style of dining, especially for a large group splitting many plates.
For dinner, crab meat and fish maw soup and sauteed prawns with greens fill out the menu.
A key scheduling note: Dynasty is closed on Tuesday. Lunch runs 11 AM to 2:30 PM on other weekdays, and weekends start at 10 AM with service until 3 PM before dinner at 5 PM.
Free parking is usually easy to find, which is a welcome break for a busy weekend meal.
7. Asian Pearl Restaurant | Dim Sum • Chinese, Sacramento, CA
Chandeliers and classic round tables set the scene at Asian Pearl, one of the biggest Chinese restaurants in the Sacramento area. It is an easy pick for anyone in the capital region who does not want to drive to the Bay Area for good dim sum.
The daytime menu covers the essentials. Shiu mai and har gow are steady choices, along with roast meats and egg custard tarts.
I like this stop for the dishes that go a little deeper. Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, pan-fried turnip cake, steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce, and deep fried stuffed taro all make the rotation.
Abalone and some less common Chinese dishes are also available, which gives regulars something new to try beyond the usual lineup.
Portions are generous and prices stay reasonable, which makes the classic tea lunch here a relaxed, lingering meal. Many tables treat it as a chance to catch up over plate after plate.
The restaurant is at 6821 Stockton Blvd #165. Hours run 11 AM to 9:30 PM Monday through Saturday, while Sunday is a shorter 10 AM to 3 PM day.
Sunday is also the busiest time, so arrive early. Free parking is plentiful.
Wherever you land on this list, bring an empty stomach and a group willing to share, because dim sum always tastes better around a full table.
Enjoyed this story?
Add Fast Food Club as a preferred source to see more of our reporting on Google.