My sister-in-law recommended Big Dish to me. It is located in the heartvof Oakland Chinatown, across the street from the East West Bank.Specialties: Roast duck, chicken, pork, bbq pork, assortment of dim sum pastries. Menu board of the dim sum is mounted on the wall. Trays of pastries are in their display case.Food is mainly for take out. There are a few tables and chairs for dining indoors.Purpose of visit: to buy the chicken cage pastries (gai loong). They do sell out fast because it is a very popular item among us elderly Chinese people. The cost for 6 of them is $6.60. I have also purchased 3 sesame balls and 3 savory dumplings.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Catiriana Reyes
Very fresh and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Dim Sum, Chive Dumplings, Sticky Rice Wrap, Siu Mai Pork Dumplings, Shrimp Dumpling
Alesia Tam
Came in to order catering for $500+ of food and put down a $200 deposit. Lady that helped with the catering order was nice and honest/upfront about costs, timing, and quantity. We then proceeded to order dim sum a la carte only to have another lady tell me 1 order of dim sum comes with 4 pieces minimum. She lied and and it’s my bad for not looking at the menu clearly. When I called her out on it she tried to claim she said the standard order is 4 pieces but you can break it up and order 1 piece if you wanted. Their menu clearly shows pricing for 1 piece. This happens a lot at some Chinese to go spots when they want to get rid of their cooked food for the day…they push you to buy more or lie so you’re stuck with more than you want to eat. I’m ok with the pushing but don’t appreciate the lying. Sketchy all around. Their dim sum wasn’t the best or the freshest. Best thing I had was their fried taro puff so maybe their fried food is the way to go. Really hoping I don’t regret ordering catering from here with all the red flags.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
Blkshiloah
Went here on 09/13/23, ordered the Cheung fun (shrimp noodle) it was ok, not much shrimp, all noodle, other places I've had this had green onions, more shrimp ECT, here it's bland. Ordered pot stickers, I've never had pot stickers that were steamed that were rubbery, crunchy and a very bad consistency, never again, I wanted chicken buns, but they were out (at 130-2pm) got the pork bun, not much filling, I don't think I would come back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Dark Thoughts
Do note, opens at 7 but don’t expect all dishes to be ready until around 7:30My standard go to’s:Fong tzhao (chicken fingers)Pai gwut (pork ribs)Ha gao (shrimp dumpling)Sew Mai (pork dumplings)Foo pay gernn (tofu skin rolls)Law bak go (turnip cakes)Depending on when you get, quality can range from good to passable. Earlier is better instead of sitting there of course. Also, varies on some days.Prices have gone up since Covid but so have restaurants, so not cheap but still relatively cheaper.Worth a shot.
Avena
When the food is fresh and not cold, it’s absolutely amazing. I’ve been here about 5 times, and 4/5 times have been phenomenal. This last time I went the food was cold, and the hagao (shrimp dumplings) were very soggy for some reason. I’ll still come back but be aware that it can be a hit or miss
Tim Hilton
Best to grab and go. Very little room to sit.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chive Dumplings, Chicken Bao
Yianna M
Dim sum taste above average and cheap, need to pay in cash though.
Jim Hager
This morning, my wife went to Oakland Chinatown ‘the Big Dish restaurant’ on the 9th Street / Webster to buy a roast duck and some roast pork to celebrate the first day of 2023. she opened the boxes , ready for the goodies at dinner time, SURPRISE !, we couldn’t find the duck Breast , the wings , the drumstick , instead the box was full of the neck bones , and the fatty junks.…the dinner was ruined….we were pissed….well A lesson learned on the first day of the new year. Check your order before you leave the shop ! Shame on that dishonest Asian employee .So readers, watch out what you can get if you plan to shop there.
Debbie W.
Wanted to try this place out - was looking for some quick take out dim sum. I had a craving for 9 layer gow chung gow (sweet cake) and bok tong go (white sugar flour cake) and bought several baked pork buns just to try it out. What I like about this place is that most of their dim sum items are $1/piece which makes for easy math. (Most other places now charge more than $1.) The baked pork buns are $1.50 each - they fit in the palm of my hand - so a little smaller than how some of other dim sum places make. There was a sign that to charge must buy minmum $25 but the machine wasn't working that day - so you should have cash in case their charge card machine doesn't work. It wasn't crowded so no long line. 1) 9 layer cake - had better - won't buy again, was a little tough, didn't have much flavor compared to other places however not all dim sum places make this 2) bok tong go - was good - satisfied my craving, nice & fluffy & spongy 3) baked pork bun - smaller than what other bakeries make but filling was good, tasted great - just wish there was more filling. Gave the pork bun to my two granddaughters who liked and ate it. They are my taste tester. My younger granddaughter (15 months) will spit out anything she doesn't like. She liked it so it passed the taste test. 4) jook (rice porridge) with duck egg - $4 - in a small plastic tub - forgot to take a picture - again the granddaughters like it - so it also past the taste test There are other items with varying prices. Will need to try other items next time.
Pretty decent roast duck. Sizeable. Meaty and fatty. Good sauce. 4/5. Was $25 Joong was ok maybe. Ingredients didnt have integrity. Flavor was different. Was $3.75
Joe K.
I come here for take-out Dim Sum and frozen wontons. The Har Gow and Sui Mai are large and yummy. They would taste even better if they were kept warmer. The frozen wontons are great. Just boil a few minutes for a convenient snack.
Ivo Stimac
Dumplings were excellent, and really cheap.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason P.
If you're looking for a cheap dim sum takeout spot, look no further. Usually when you want dim sum, you'll have to go with several people in order for your dim sum trip to be worth while. That way you can order a bunch of dishes to share. However, if you're by your lonely lonesome self but craving some dim sum and have no one to go with or don't have the time to sit down and dine, this place offers single items for sale. That way you're not forced to order 4 items of one kind. Get one of each if you feel like it. Today I got 2 haw gow, 2 siu mai, 2 wu gok, and pai gwut fan. Each $1, except the $4 spareribs rice. The rice is actually flavored with some of that spareribs juice. So for $10, you get a pretty big meal. They take credit cards but charge you a fee unless your order is greater than $25.
Jérôme C
Felt like they took advantage of me as they knew I am a tourist.Rice box combination is cheap (8$) but very basic, very few sauce, very few meat, and I had to ask for my 10$ change. I didn’t feel like it was natural, no excuse and even being rude when she gave me the change.. I was about to give a 20% tip as I usually do but I didn’t feel like a customer.
My sister-in-law recommended Big Dish to me. It is located in the heartvof Oakland Chinatown, across the street from the East West Bank.Specialties: Roast duck, chicken, pork, bbq pork, assortment of dim sum pastries. Menu board of the dim sum is mounted on the wall. Trays of pastries are in their display case.Food is mainly for take out. There are a few tables and chairs for dining indoors.Purpose of visit: to buy the chicken cage pastries (gai loong). They do sell out fast because it is a very popular item among us elderly Chinese people. The cost for 6 of them is $6.60. I have also purchased 3 sesame balls and 3 savory dumplings.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Very fresh and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Dim Sum, Chive Dumplings, Sticky Rice Wrap, Siu Mai Pork Dumplings, Shrimp Dumpling
Came in to order catering for $500+ of food and put down a $200 deposit. Lady that helped with the catering order was nice and honest/upfront about costs, timing, and quantity. We then proceeded to order dim sum a la carte only to have another lady tell me 1 order of dim sum comes with 4 pieces minimum. She lied and and it’s my bad for not looking at the menu clearly. When I called her out on it she tried to claim she said the standard order is 4 pieces but you can break it up and order 1 piece if you wanted. Their menu clearly shows pricing for 1 piece. This happens a lot at some Chinese to go spots when they want to get rid of their cooked food for the day…they push you to buy more or lie so you’re stuck with more than you want to eat. I’m ok with the pushing but don’t appreciate the lying. Sketchy all around. Their dim sum wasn’t the best or the freshest. Best thing I had was their fried taro puff so maybe their fried food is the way to go. Really hoping I don’t regret ordering catering from here with all the red flags.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
Went here on 09/13/23, ordered the Cheung fun (shrimp noodle) it was ok, not much shrimp, all noodle, other places I've had this had green onions, more shrimp ECT, here it's bland. Ordered pot stickers, I've never had pot stickers that were steamed that were rubbery, crunchy and a very bad consistency, never again, I wanted chicken buns, but they were out (at 130-2pm) got the pork bun, not much filling, I don't think I would come back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Do note, opens at 7 but don’t expect all dishes to be ready until around 7:30My standard go to’s:Fong tzhao (chicken fingers)Pai gwut (pork ribs)Ha gao (shrimp dumpling)Sew Mai (pork dumplings)Foo pay gernn (tofu skin rolls)Law bak go (turnip cakes)Depending on when you get, quality can range from good to passable. Earlier is better instead of sitting there of course. Also, varies on some days.Prices have gone up since Covid but so have restaurants, so not cheap but still relatively cheaper.Worth a shot.
When the food is fresh and not cold, it’s absolutely amazing. I’ve been here about 5 times, and 4/5 times have been phenomenal. This last time I went the food was cold, and the hagao (shrimp dumplings) were very soggy for some reason. I’ll still come back but be aware that it can be a hit or miss
Best to grab and go. Very little room to sit.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chive Dumplings, Chicken Bao
Dim sum taste above average and cheap, need to pay in cash though.
This morning, my wife went to Oakland Chinatown ‘the Big Dish restaurant’ on the 9th Street / Webster to buy a roast duck and some roast pork to celebrate the first day of 2023. she opened the boxes , ready for the goodies at dinner time, SURPRISE !, we couldn’t find the duck Breast , the wings , the drumstick , instead the box was full of the neck bones , and the fatty junks.…the dinner was ruined….we were pissed….well A lesson learned on the first day of the new year. Check your order before you leave the shop ! Shame on that dishonest Asian employee .So readers, watch out what you can get if you plan to shop there.
Wanted to try this place out - was looking for some quick take out dim sum. I had a craving for 9 layer gow chung gow (sweet cake) and bok tong go (white sugar flour cake) and bought several baked pork buns just to try it out. What I like about this place is that most of their dim sum items are $1/piece which makes for easy math. (Most other places now charge more than $1.) The baked pork buns are $1.50 each - they fit in the palm of my hand - so a little smaller than how some of other dim sum places make. There was a sign that to charge must buy minmum $25 but the machine wasn't working that day - so you should have cash in case their charge card machine doesn't work. It wasn't crowded so no long line. 1) 9 layer cake - had better - won't buy again, was a little tough, didn't have much flavor compared to other places however not all dim sum places make this 2) bok tong go - was good - satisfied my craving, nice & fluffy & spongy 3) baked pork bun - smaller than what other bakeries make but filling was good, tasted great - just wish there was more filling. Gave the pork bun to my two granddaughters who liked and ate it. They are my taste tester. My younger granddaughter (15 months) will spit out anything she doesn't like. She liked it so it passed the taste test. 4) jook (rice porridge) with duck egg - $4 - in a small plastic tub - forgot to take a picture - again the granddaughters like it - so it also past the taste test There are other items with varying prices. Will need to try other items next time.
Restaurantji Recommends
Pretty decent roast duck. Sizeable. Meaty and fatty. Good sauce. 4/5. Was $25 Joong was ok maybe. Ingredients didnt have integrity. Flavor was different. Was $3.75
I come here for take-out Dim Sum and frozen wontons. The Har Gow and Sui Mai are large and yummy. They would taste even better if they were kept warmer. The frozen wontons are great. Just boil a few minutes for a convenient snack.
Dumplings were excellent, and really cheap.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you're looking for a cheap dim sum takeout spot, look no further. Usually when you want dim sum, you'll have to go with several people in order for your dim sum trip to be worth while. That way you can order a bunch of dishes to share. However, if you're by your lonely lonesome self but craving some dim sum and have no one to go with or don't have the time to sit down and dine, this place offers single items for sale. That way you're not forced to order 4 items of one kind. Get one of each if you feel like it. Today I got 2 haw gow, 2 siu mai, 2 wu gok, and pai gwut fan. Each $1, except the $4 spareribs rice. The rice is actually flavored with some of that spareribs juice. So for $10, you get a pretty big meal. They take credit cards but charge you a fee unless your order is greater than $25.
Felt like they took advantage of me as they knew I am a tourist.Rice box combination is cheap (8$) but very basic, very few sauce, very few meat, and I had to ask for my 10$ change. I didn’t feel like it was natural, no excuse and even being rude when she gave me the change.. I was about to give a 20% tip as I usually do but I didn’t feel like a customer.