Best dim sum in Chinatown?

[chowchow12345678]

Are there any great dim sum restaurants in Chinatown nowadays, not a take-out place?

[chrishei]

CBS is decent, as is Empress. But yeah, just drive 10 more minutes east for Sea Harbour, Elite, and over a handful of other places that are superior.

[ipsedixit]

Yum Cha Cafe.

[nosh]

I love the baked bbq pork buns at Yum Cha Cafe. They are big, really inexpensive, and reheat well with 25 seconds in my microwave. The other items I've tried there haven't fared as well. The shu mai are small, a bit hard, a touch gummy. The egg rolls just seem like they've sat around too long. Oh, the fried shrimp balls with the crispy coating are good. I get takeout; the times I've tried to eat in there I can't seem to get cold water to drink.

[chowchow12345678]

I'm hoping to find a sit-down dim sum restaurant in Chinatown, not a take-out place like Yum Cha Cafe.

[Bjartmarr]

Yum Cha Cafe falls squarely into the "cheap and adequate" category, imo.

[foodiemahoodie]

How about Empress Pavillion? (I've never been but I've good things about it).

[Chandavkl]

Empress Pavillion is probably the best known dim sum restaurant in Chinatown and I'd bet all of the other posters on this thread are familiar with it.

[Galen]

Me and my friends go to Empress. Convenient parking and big dining room.

[silverlakebodhisattva]

Empress, once my "go to" for dim sum, is still good, but unless time and transport limits require otherwise, I'm now almost always SGV-bound.

[Chandavkl]

No. Not even close.

[chowchow12345678]

Hmm, how about decent?

[Chandavkl]

Golden Dragon. (Did I really say that?)

[Clinton]

Yes you did...and quite frankly, you're probably right?

[granadafan]

Golden Dragon and Ocean Seafood are the only halfway decent ones if you've never been the SGV.

[wienermobile]

I was going to say Ocean Seafood also....but Sea Harbour is only about 10 minutes farther away in Rosemead.
http://oceansf.com

[Theo]

Ocean Seafood for sure