Tim ho wan….Always good. Chili oil is very delicious too. Just a bit pricey. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf 古法糯米鸡, Pork Buns
JY
Last time I came was maybe two years ago, and it seems that the food quality has dropped a lot since then. Compared to dim sum in SGV and Rowland Heights, Tim Ho Wan is overrated; my friend and I came hungry, and left merely feeling full, not at all delighted from the food.We got the steamed beef ball, steamed pork spare ribs, pan fried turnip cake, steamed chicken feet, steamed bean curd, and baked bbq pork buns. Of the six, only the pork spare ribs and baked bbq pork buns were decent, everything else was just disappointing, like I could have bought some of these from a supermarket, heated it up at home, and have a better taste and time.Store service was just average. No wait time since we arrived after 1pm (I remember waiting half an hour when I came years ago at like 11am). You could see bad sauce stains on the tables that couldn’t be wiped away, kinda ick. Female restrooms were a major ick: 2 stalls out of service, 1 had feces on the seat, and 1 had trash flowing out the bin almost touching the seat.Tldr: Tim Ho Wan is overrated, only thing worth the time is baked bbq buns, and go to SGV or Rowland Heights for better dim sum.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Baked BBQ Pork
John Sun
Quality was below expectations for a place so hyped up.We did enjoy the pork and egg congee, but other items such as the shrimp cheung fen, shui mai, and pork dumplings were below expectations. Eg. Using a shrimp paste instead of real shrimp, not having the oil temp up enough for the pork dumplings to bubble up, or not having scallops/roe within the sui mai so it was lacking flavor. All these items also came out uncut, and we had to cut them up with the plastic knives and forks given.The pu er tea had a bit of a soap taste, but did come in a nice teapotThe tables did not have tablecloths, and there were visible stains from previous customers soy and tea spills.Utensils given were all plastic minus the wooden chopsticks.The staff were nice and attentive, food was a bit slow to come out - 10-20mins between each dish, but we did go early in the morning (10:45) so it is understandable.Overall it is a bit of a shame to have this experience after a couple of people have recommended this place, will be hunting for another yum cha place to frequent. I wouldn't recommend coming here
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Lizanne Gomes
Food here was of mediocre quality at best. It did not taste fresh. It was our first time here so we ordered the basics: siu mai, prawn cheung fun, turnip cake, fried pork mince dumplings and congee. The congee was the best out of all the dishes. The turnip cake didnt come with sauce and they gave us a plastic knife to cut the cheung fun (it comes as a whole role), which was dry and dense, not silky as expected. The pu'er tea also tasted either burnt or like the teapot wasnt washed very well. The staff, however, were kind and welcoming so I gave that 5 stars. I would not recommend coming here for dim sum.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
R. D.
Cravings for dimsum? We’re in the area and wanted to get something quick and you can eat take it home. Service was good and the pork bao was so good. Check out the place it’s always busy especially on weekends. ??
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
EUNICE LEE
Every 3pm to 6pm HAPPY HOUR
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luciana Lee
This is our local dim sum place. The food is always fresh and delicious. The service is also excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum
aglassofsherry
Have you ever had Michelin-rated dim sum? Located right in the heart of Irvine, we got to try dim sum classics like shu mai, shrimp dumplings, and cheung fun. However what they’re most known for is the Baked BBQ pork buns. I was a little skeptical at first just because sweet-tasting meat fillings aren’t really my thing, but this ended up being my favorite thing that we ordered! I love the buttery crust on the bun like a pineapple bun, and the sweet BBQ pork complements it perfectly.Other must-order items are the Pan-fried rice rolls with XO sauce, Spicy cucumber salad, and Sticky rice in lotus leaf. This was like unwrapping a present with so many chunks of meat!Thanks for reading! ^-^
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf 古法糯米鸡, Dim Sum, Pork Buns, Braised Beef Brisket with Turnip Daikon, Rice Rolls
Madrona Beach
High quality. Wish 8t stayed open later than 8pm.Vegetarian options: Mostly meat and fish dishes. The vegetarian dim sum options are good but arguably not sufficient if you don't also eat seafood or meat.Parking: Large free parking lot behind diamond jamboree is sometimes busy but rarely totally full.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings Har Gow, Turnip Cake
jerry chiang
Of all the dim sums places I have been to, this place is my least favorite place. The food is average, the food is small to tiny portion, the restaurant has bad odor smell but the service was good.
We walked around this busy Irvine center and decided on Tim Ho Wan, where we were able to be seated right away.The decor was nice with a modern look. The servers were efficient and came by our table often.Everything we shared:Pan Fried Noodles with BBQ Pork $12.50Baked BBQ Pork Buns 3pc $8.00Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork $7.95Sweet Coconut Cream with Taro and Sago $7.50The baked barbecue pork buns is one of my favorites. Textured pillows of pastry that was a little sweet with a pocket of delicious char siu.The Pan Fried Noodles with BBQ Pork was another favorite. The portion was a little smaller than I was expecting. The flavor was fantastic and liked the crunch of the veggies. Visually very appealing!I miss the traditional dim sum carts. I’ll definitely have to come back to try more of their dim sum!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Baked BBQ Pork, Pork Buns
Hoai L.
It's been a long time for me to find an excellent Dim Sum place like this one. The foods were tasty and served a few at a time so they are very fresh and hot. The server was great and attentive to our need to immediately assist and bring out new foods when we were ready for the next set. I really love the hot and soft skin of Hai Cow and the rice cake here.
Angela Bunner
Good takeout window for when you're in a hurry. But dim sum isn't anything special. Shrimp dumplings were dry inside, skin not tender. Not cheap either for small
OK I will say that sometimes the quality of Tim Ho Wan varies slightly. Over the last 24 months, I've visited probably 5 times now, and some times the food quality is a bit better than other visits. That said, there are so many things I have enjoyed on the menu, it deserves a 5-star review. The interior is sizeable, and service is fast, friendly and attentive. We've never had to wait there, and we only go there for lunch on Saturdays. My go-to craveworthy faves, I will get these almost every time I go: 1. Wontons in Hot and Spicy Sauce: wontons steamed in a garlicky, slightly sweet, slightly tangy chili sauce that has some chili oil. I could eat 2 plates of this myself (5 to a plate), they are irresistable. My always go-to at Tim Ho Wan. That said, sometimes better than others, this last visit they were sloppy, but still tasty. 2. Dry noodles. I've had this with and without char sieu (roasted pork) but I found the char sieu to be just OK and not add a lot to this dish. The dry noodles are tossed with shredded carrot, scallion and some bean sprouts. They have a wonderful chew and are perfectly accompanied by the chili oil & oil "goop" brought table side, or the tangy sauce that accompanies the chili oil wontons. Pro tip: add a little of both for top notch flavors. 3. Baked BBQ Pork buns. 3 to a serving, they aren't large but have a slightly sweet crumbly pastry crust and sweet & savory roasted pork filling that is luscious (but not juicy). 4. Siu Mai: these are a little variable. On my last visit, they were heavenly: super light airy, and juicy. On other visits, they've been slightly more dense. They aren't a rustic version, but they aren't as consistently refined as some that I've had. When these are done right at Tim Ho Wan (maybe 70% of the time), they are refined, light and elegant. The other 30% of the time they are just good, not mind-blowing. My new favorites: 5. Braised Beef brisket with noodles (subbed with rice noodles): The broth is a rich 5-spice style broth (a little reminiscent of boat noodles); brisket is tender, sometimes a little chewy, comes with super tender big chunks of daikon that melt like a soft potato. 6. Shrimp and chive dumplings. Very subtle flavors, my 2 year old really enjoyed these and wanted to eat the filling over and over. 7. Lava Custard Sesame Balls: delicious; light and thin sesame crusted shell, goeey sweet egg custard inside. Other good ones, aka things I have enjoyed there and will order from time to time. 8. Deep fried pork and dried shrimp dumplings. Very good, lightly crispy with a gooey interior. 9. Steamed rice roll: slithery and tasty. 10. Beef meatball - super tender, 3pc, one person in our party didn't like bc of cumin or something that I couldn't taste. I thought it was a wonderful, uber-soft meatball wrapped in gossamer bean curd skin. It was falling off like a peeling sunburn, but I devoured it nonetheless.11. Rice Noodles in XO sauce: Rice noodles with XO sauce - good! Finger-thick, tender rice 'bars' that are actually thinly rolled rice noodles. sauced with a dark soy sauce, nice flavor and big portion.
Ariana L.
Been eyeing this place for a while, especially with its Michelin Star reputation. The food was decent, just not amazing, especially for the price. The serving sizes run fairly small, so I recommend ordering double of everything we did to feed a group of 6 or more. We had 6 people in our group, and initially ordered about 8 dishes, but had to order extra food after because we were still hungry. The place seemed pretty clean, and the service was nice. However, the plastic serving forks didn't really add anything good to the reputation. Overall the food was decent, just expensive for what you get.
Tim ho wan….Always good. Chili oil is very delicious too. Just a bit pricey. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf 古法糯米鸡, Pork Buns
Last time I came was maybe two years ago, and it seems that the food quality has dropped a lot since then. Compared to dim sum in SGV and Rowland Heights, Tim Ho Wan is overrated; my friend and I came hungry, and left merely feeling full, not at all delighted from the food.We got the steamed beef ball, steamed pork spare ribs, pan fried turnip cake, steamed chicken feet, steamed bean curd, and baked bbq pork buns. Of the six, only the pork spare ribs and baked bbq pork buns were decent, everything else was just disappointing, like I could have bought some of these from a supermarket, heated it up at home, and have a better taste and time.Store service was just average. No wait time since we arrived after 1pm (I remember waiting half an hour when I came years ago at like 11am). You could see bad sauce stains on the tables that couldn’t be wiped away, kinda ick. Female restrooms were a major ick: 2 stalls out of service, 1 had feces on the seat, and 1 had trash flowing out the bin almost touching the seat.Tldr: Tim Ho Wan is overrated, only thing worth the time is baked bbq buns, and go to SGV or Rowland Heights for better dim sum.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Baked BBQ Pork
Quality was below expectations for a place so hyped up.We did enjoy the pork and egg congee, but other items such as the shrimp cheung fen, shui mai, and pork dumplings were below expectations. Eg. Using a shrimp paste instead of real shrimp, not having the oil temp up enough for the pork dumplings to bubble up, or not having scallops/roe within the sui mai so it was lacking flavor. All these items also came out uncut, and we had to cut them up with the plastic knives and forks given.The pu er tea had a bit of a soap taste, but did come in a nice teapotThe tables did not have tablecloths, and there were visible stains from previous customers soy and tea spills.Utensils given were all plastic minus the wooden chopsticks.The staff were nice and attentive, food was a bit slow to come out - 10-20mins between each dish, but we did go early in the morning (10:45) so it is understandable.Overall it is a bit of a shame to have this experience after a couple of people have recommended this place, will be hunting for another yum cha place to frequent. I wouldn't recommend coming here
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Food here was of mediocre quality at best. It did not taste fresh. It was our first time here so we ordered the basics: siu mai, prawn cheung fun, turnip cake, fried pork mince dumplings and congee. The congee was the best out of all the dishes. The turnip cake didnt come with sauce and they gave us a plastic knife to cut the cheung fun (it comes as a whole role), which was dry and dense, not silky as expected. The pu'er tea also tasted either burnt or like the teapot wasnt washed very well. The staff, however, were kind and welcoming so I gave that 5 stars. I would not recommend coming here for dim sum.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Cravings for dimsum? We’re in the area and wanted to get something quick and you can eat take it home. Service was good and the pork bao was so good. Check out the place it’s always busy especially on weekends. ??
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Every 3pm to 6pm HAPPY HOUR
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is our local dim sum place. The food is always fresh and delicious. The service is also excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum
Have you ever had Michelin-rated dim sum? Located right in the heart of Irvine, we got to try dim sum classics like shu mai, shrimp dumplings, and cheung fun. However what they’re most known for is the Baked BBQ pork buns. I was a little skeptical at first just because sweet-tasting meat fillings aren’t really my thing, but this ended up being my favorite thing that we ordered! I love the buttery crust on the bun like a pineapple bun, and the sweet BBQ pork complements it perfectly.Other must-order items are the Pan-fried rice rolls with XO sauce, Spicy cucumber salad, and Sticky rice in lotus leaf. This was like unwrapping a present with so many chunks of meat!Thanks for reading! ^-^
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf 古法糯米鸡, Dim Sum, Pork Buns, Braised Beef Brisket with Turnip Daikon, Rice Rolls
High quality. Wish 8t stayed open later than 8pm.Vegetarian options: Mostly meat and fish dishes. The vegetarian dim sum options are good but arguably not sufficient if you don't also eat seafood or meat.Parking: Large free parking lot behind diamond jamboree is sometimes busy but rarely totally full.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings Har Gow, Turnip Cake
Of all the dim sums places I have been to, this place is my least favorite place. The food is average, the food is small to tiny portion, the restaurant has bad odor smell but the service was good.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
We walked around this busy Irvine center and decided on Tim Ho Wan, where we were able to be seated right away.The decor was nice with a modern look. The servers were efficient and came by our table often.Everything we shared:Pan Fried Noodles with BBQ Pork $12.50Baked BBQ Pork Buns 3pc $8.00Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork $7.95Sweet Coconut Cream with Taro and Sago $7.50The baked barbecue pork buns is one of my favorites. Textured pillows of pastry that was a little sweet with a pocket of delicious char siu.The Pan Fried Noodles with BBQ Pork was another favorite. The portion was a little smaller than I was expecting. The flavor was fantastic and liked the crunch of the veggies. Visually very appealing!I miss the traditional dim sum carts. I’ll definitely have to come back to try more of their dim sum!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Baked BBQ Pork, Pork Buns
It's been a long time for me to find an excellent Dim Sum place like this one. The foods were tasty and served a few at a time so they are very fresh and hot. The server was great and attentive to our need to immediately assist and bring out new foods when we were ready for the next set. I really love the hot and soft skin of Hai Cow and the rice cake here.
Good takeout window for when you're in a hurry. But dim sum isn't anything special. Shrimp dumplings were dry inside, skin not tender. Not cheap either for small
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf 古法糯米鸡, Steamed Vegetable Dumplings, Pork Buns
OK I will say that sometimes the quality of Tim Ho Wan varies slightly. Over the last 24 months, I've visited probably 5 times now, and some times the food quality is a bit better than other visits. That said, there are so many things I have enjoyed on the menu, it deserves a 5-star review. The interior is sizeable, and service is fast, friendly and attentive. We've never had to wait there, and we only go there for lunch on Saturdays. My go-to craveworthy faves, I will get these almost every time I go: 1. Wontons in Hot and Spicy Sauce: wontons steamed in a garlicky, slightly sweet, slightly tangy chili sauce that has some chili oil. I could eat 2 plates of this myself (5 to a plate), they are irresistable. My always go-to at Tim Ho Wan. That said, sometimes better than others, this last visit they were sloppy, but still tasty. 2. Dry noodles. I've had this with and without char sieu (roasted pork) but I found the char sieu to be just OK and not add a lot to this dish. The dry noodles are tossed with shredded carrot, scallion and some bean sprouts. They have a wonderful chew and are perfectly accompanied by the chili oil & oil "goop" brought table side, or the tangy sauce that accompanies the chili oil wontons. Pro tip: add a little of both for top notch flavors. 3. Baked BBQ Pork buns. 3 to a serving, they aren't large but have a slightly sweet crumbly pastry crust and sweet & savory roasted pork filling that is luscious (but not juicy). 4. Siu Mai: these are a little variable. On my last visit, they were heavenly: super light airy, and juicy. On other visits, they've been slightly more dense. They aren't a rustic version, but they aren't as consistently refined as some that I've had. When these are done right at Tim Ho Wan (maybe 70% of the time), they are refined, light and elegant. The other 30% of the time they are just good, not mind-blowing. My new favorites: 5. Braised Beef brisket with noodles (subbed with rice noodles): The broth is a rich 5-spice style broth (a little reminiscent of boat noodles); brisket is tender, sometimes a little chewy, comes with super tender big chunks of daikon that melt like a soft potato. 6. Shrimp and chive dumplings. Very subtle flavors, my 2 year old really enjoyed these and wanted to eat the filling over and over. 7. Lava Custard Sesame Balls: delicious; light and thin sesame crusted shell, goeey sweet egg custard inside. Other good ones, aka things I have enjoyed there and will order from time to time. 8. Deep fried pork and dried shrimp dumplings. Very good, lightly crispy with a gooey interior. 9. Steamed rice roll: slithery and tasty. 10. Beef meatball - super tender, 3pc, one person in our party didn't like bc of cumin or something that I couldn't taste. I thought it was a wonderful, uber-soft meatball wrapped in gossamer bean curd skin. It was falling off like a peeling sunburn, but I devoured it nonetheless.11. Rice Noodles in XO sauce: Rice noodles with XO sauce - good! Finger-thick, tender rice 'bars' that are actually thinly rolled rice noodles. sauced with a dark soy sauce, nice flavor and big portion.
Been eyeing this place for a while, especially with its Michelin Star reputation. The food was decent, just not amazing, especially for the price. The serving sizes run fairly small, so I recommend ordering double of everything we did to feed a group of 6 or more. We had 6 people in our group, and initially ordered about 8 dishes, but had to order extra food after because we were still hungry. The place seemed pretty clean, and the service was nice. However, the plastic serving forks didn't really add anything good to the reputation. Overall the food was decent, just expensive for what you get.