Dim Sum at Chinatown

If you haven't tried dim sum before, you really should. At a traditional dim sum restaurant, servers go from table to table pushing carts stacked with baskets or bowls of different individually-sized items, like dumplings. It's so fun to browse the carts, pointing out whatever suits your fancy, then getting instant gratification as the server places whatever you've chosen on your table and marks your ticket with the price.

I recently learned that Chinatown Restaurant had procured a new dim sum chef from San Francisco. Austin is sorely lacking in great dim sum spots, so we hurried right over to check it out.

We weren't disappointed. Their dim sum has become legit. The dumplings we tried were excellent, and were offered in a wide variety of fillings and preparations (both steamed and fried). In addition to the dumplings, we sampled tasty lo mai gai (sticky rice mixed with various savory fillings and wrapped in lotus leaves), wonderfully tender curried squid, vibrant green water spinach, exceptionally long rice noodle rolls, flavorful Peking duck buns, perfect sesame balls, and delightfully eggy dan ta (custard tarts). I was with some folks who did not grow up eating dim sum, and there were some less traditional offerings that pleased them, too, like bacon-wrapped shrimp and slices of eggplant with some sort of shrimp mixture sandwiched between them. It was a veritable smorgasbord of Chinese and Chinese-inspired snacky bits, and we left sated and happy.

Do you have a favorite spot in Austin for dim sum? If so, please share your dim sum secrets in the comments!

Chinatown

(Three locations - dim sum at the Westlake and North locations only, from 11a-2:30p Sat & Sun)

Westlake:

2712 Bee Caves Road, Ste 124

Austin, TX 78746

(512) 328-6588

North:

3407 Greystone Drive

Austin, TX 78731

(512) 343-9307