How to Eat at a Dim Sum Restaurant: A Guide

To eat at a dim sum restaurant, take a seat at a large round table, accept tea, and order small dishes in waves from carts or a paper sheet, sharing everything. Learning how to eat at a dim sum restaurant is easier than it looks, and the reward is one of the most sociable meals in the world.

How to eat at a dim sum restaurant: how service works

There are two main formats. In a traditional restaurant, servers push carts around the room, each carrying a different group of dishes, and you point to what you want. In many modern restaurants, you mark a paper menu with a pencil or order from a server, and the dishes arrive from the kitchen. Both formats serve small plates meant for sharing.

You sit at a table, receive tea and a card or a menu, and order in rounds. Each dish is stamped or marked on your card, and the bill is totaled at the end. Dim sum is a long, relaxed meal, so settle in.

What is on a dim sum order list for beginners?

A beginner order list covers the classics. Har gow is a translucent dumpling filled with shrimp. Siu mai is an open topped pork and shrimp dumpling. Char siu bao is a steamed bun filled with sweet barbecued pork. Cheung fun is a rice noodle roll, often with shrimp or beef, in a soy sauce. Turnip cake is a pan fried cake of radish and cured sausage. Egg tarts have a flaky shell and a silky custard center.

Add a green vegetable, such as gai lan with oyster sauce, to balance the table. For a group of four, choose six to eight dishes for the first round and add more as you go.

What is dim sum cart etiquette?

Dim sum cart etiquette is friendly. When a cart stops at your table, look at the dishes and point to what you want. The server will place it on the table and stamp your card. You may also say "yes" or "no, thank you." You do not have to take anything.

If you are looking for a dish that has not come by, ask a server. Do not wave at carts across the room. Keep your card where the servers can see it and make sure it is stamped for every dish. If a basket is empty, leave it on the table; servers collect them.

How do you use dim sum tea?

Dim sum tea is part of the meal. Common choices are jasmine, chrysanthemum, oolong and pu-erh. Tea cleans the palate between the rich bites and helps digestion. The server brings a pot, and you pour for others before yourself.

A custom, known to many families, is to tap two fingers on the table when someone pours for you, as a thank you. If the pot is empty, leave the lid ajar and a server will refill it. Order a different tea if you want something lighter.

What else should you order for dim sum for beginners?

Beyond the classics, try a few dishes from each category. Fried dishes include shrimp balls, taro dumplings and spring rolls. Steamed items include spare ribs with black beans and chicken feet, which are tender and gelatinous. Congee, a rice porridge, can start the meal with something plain and warm. Sticky rice in lotus leaf is a filling dish to share.

Finish with a sweet item, such as mango pudding, sesame balls or egg tart. If you are unsure about a dish, ask the server what it is. The taqueria guide works the same way: ask, point and try.

How do you eat the dishes?

Use chopsticks or a spoon, or ask for a fork. Dip dumplings in soy sauce, chili oil or vinegar, which are on the table. Pick up one dumpling at a time and eat it in one or two bites, since they are best hot.

Turn the lazy Susan, if there is one, slowly and let others take before you. Use serving spoons where they are provided. Do not leave chopsticks standing in a bowl of rice; lay them across the dish.

How do you manage a large group?

Large tables are the point of dim sum. Order dishes in rounds, so that the table never has too many baskets at once. Ask each person to name one dish they want, and let the table decide the rest. Nominate one person to talk to the server.

Dim sum is busy on weekends, especially from ten until one. Go early or on a weekday to avoid a long wait. Some restaurants take names for a list, and others use numbers. The US guides hub lists more pages about eating out.

How do you finish well?

Ask for the check when you have finished your tea. The bill is usually counted by the number and size of dishes. Tip the servers as you would at any sit-down restaurant, and leave the table clean.

Before you leave, take a moment to note which dishes you would order again. Next time, you will arrive knowing what you want. The guide to finding good food in a new city explains how to find a dim sum hall in an unfamiliar town.

At the end of the meal, get the Mosey app, rate the dumplings you loved and build a list of the dim sum rooms you would take a group to.