I came here for birthday drinks with my girlfriends and I was amazed with their cocktails. The lychee martini is delicious! Probably best one I've had in Boston. Ambiance is hip and beautiful. Shout out to Bao for making us feel extra special that day ! Will definitely come back to try the food!
Payal M.
This place offers some of the best Chinese food in the Kendall square neighborhood. They have a wide selection of teas from all over the world and brew it on the table. It's usually packed after office hours till closing time and highly recommend getting a reservation. Ambiance is slightly cramped with several shared tables and plenty of seating at the bar. It's vegetarian friendly.
S Murphy
Decent food, terrible
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Steve Zhou
Live Jazz performance when we dinned there. Service was superb. Ordered “authentic” spicy level for all four dishes. Reminded me of years I spent in Hunan, China. The little chilies in those dishes are like “icing on the cake” that make everything taste really authentic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
YourSecretDiner
Sumiao Boston is a culinary gem nestled in the heart of the city, offering an unforgettable dining experience. From the moment we walked in, Jessi, the manager, greeted us warmly, setting the tone for the exceptional service to come. Our server, Gin, guided us through the menu with expertise and charm, ensuring every dish exceeded our expectations.The attention to detail at Sumiao Boston is truly commendable. Each dish was a masterpiece, meticulously prepared with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor. From the perfectly seasoned appetizers to the decadent main courses, every bite was a delight for the senses.What truly sets Sumiao Boston apart is their commitment to excellence. Jessi and her team go above and beyond to ensure every guest feels welcomed and cared for. Their passion for hospitality shines through in every aspect of the dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scallion Pancake 葱油饼, Hot and Sour Soup
Melissa O.
Had a great work lunch here! Everything we got was yummy, lots of spice which is my FAVORITE. The food came out fast and we had the most patient/efficient/knowledgeable server ever - shout out to Bernadette!
Amiel C.
The interior is nice. Servers were friendly and helpful. I liked the big tv screen above the fireplace showing what dishes looked like. We ordered beef tongue, veggies, pork, eel, and other dishes and they were all really good. It was a little pricy but overall food was really good.
June M.
Came here in a group of 9. Got seated in a more private area . If you are looking for nice Chinese cuisine dining experience with professional staffs, this place is for you. It's an excellent place to take your business partner or to impress someone with nice dining area. The food is good, lot of options to choose from. This restaurant is in the top 10 Chinese restaurants in Boston area that offers excellent crispy duck, so you should def give this restaurant a try. It's family style so prepare to have your food shared. However, you are definitely paying the price for the nice atmosphere, our bill comes out to be $70 each but the food don't match the price point.
Magdi M.
Had dinner there. In general, there is absolutely nothing special about this place except it is very overpriced and the portions are very small for the price. Most dishes cost around $30 or more for small portions of oily food filled with cheap vegetable. Most fish dishes use cheap type of fresh water fish easily farmed yet still expensive. Virgin drinks are also expensive and taste like sugar and colored water Only reason the place is popular is because of location near Kendal square with business people expensing meals and don't care much about the value. If you are looking for a good food , value and ambiance, this is not the place to go. For me, I will never go back there again. Terrible value.
A A.
Have been here a couple of times, and the food was great. Not the typical Americanized Chinese sweet and supersized food, and it was nicely spiced. In fact, I rather wished it were more supersized for the price and considering how good it was. Music wasn't too loud at early dinner time, if you actually want to have a conversation with someone without yelling, and ambiance was pleasant.
When Sumiao first opened in 2017 I got violently sick from how spicy the food was (I have no spice tolerance). I'm happy to report back that there's more non spicy and even less spicy options. A bit expensive, which is typical for the area, but the portions are kinda decently sized enough.There's a lot of dishes that are spicy and you can get no spicy, and some where the lowest they can go is medium spicy. Those were still good but I could only eat a few bites. Similarly, there are some dishes you can ask for vegetarian, the the vegetable dishes or the fried rice.Went with one coworker who couldn't eat seafood, one couldn't eat meat or seafood, and one who was allergic to peanuts. We got a couple of vegetarian options (rice, noodles, one veggie dish that had the option of no meat). When the food came out, they were all labeled with little flags saying "vegetarian" and "allergy". Except the allergies flags were a little inconsistent because one was in a dish without peanuts and one was in a dish made with peanut sauce. I think we would have benefitted from an explanation about the flags because the friend allergic to peanuts was the one who first ate the dish with the peanut sauce, thinking that it meant it was ok. We should have known by reading the menu but it was a bit confusing.Vegetarian options: Limited
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Yangdi Sunny Xue
We love this place! We basically go there for dinner 1 or 2 times a month. The food is authentic and hit the spot. And they have a full bar with amazing cocktails. This is definitely one of the best Chinese food restaurants in the city!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Richa Lagu
Just had a wonderful dinner at Sumiao -- the food was excellent as always, and a special shout out to our server Bernadette who provided amazing service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Popcorn Chicken
Nhim N.
The food was absolutely phenomenal. I personally like our waitress- Bernadette, she was so nice and helpful. Highly recommended!
Michael T.
Service and food were remarkable! Fast and friendly service food is up to par. Our server name Bernadette request for her and she will take care of you!
I came here for birthday drinks with my girlfriends and I was amazed with their cocktails. The lychee martini is delicious! Probably best one I've had in Boston. Ambiance is hip and beautiful. Shout out to Bao for making us feel extra special that day ! Will definitely come back to try the food!
This place offers some of the best Chinese food in the Kendall square neighborhood. They have a wide selection of teas from all over the world and brew it on the table. It's usually packed after office hours till closing time and highly recommend getting a reservation. Ambiance is slightly cramped with several shared tables and plenty of seating at the bar. It's vegetarian friendly.
Decent food, terrible
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Live Jazz performance when we dinned there. Service was superb. Ordered “authentic” spicy level for all four dishes. Reminded me of years I spent in Hunan, China. The little chilies in those dishes are like “icing on the cake” that make everything taste really authentic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sumiao Boston is a culinary gem nestled in the heart of the city, offering an unforgettable dining experience. From the moment we walked in, Jessi, the manager, greeted us warmly, setting the tone for the exceptional service to come. Our server, Gin, guided us through the menu with expertise and charm, ensuring every dish exceeded our expectations.The attention to detail at Sumiao Boston is truly commendable. Each dish was a masterpiece, meticulously prepared with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor. From the perfectly seasoned appetizers to the decadent main courses, every bite was a delight for the senses.What truly sets Sumiao Boston apart is their commitment to excellence. Jessi and her team go above and beyond to ensure every guest feels welcomed and cared for. Their passion for hospitality shines through in every aspect of the dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scallion Pancake 葱油饼, Hot and Sour Soup
Had a great work lunch here! Everything we got was yummy, lots of spice which is my FAVORITE. The food came out fast and we had the most patient/efficient/knowledgeable server ever - shout out to Bernadette!
The interior is nice. Servers were friendly and helpful. I liked the big tv screen above the fireplace showing what dishes looked like. We ordered beef tongue, veggies, pork, eel, and other dishes and they were all really good. It was a little pricy but overall food was really good.
Came here in a group of 9. Got seated in a more private area . If you are looking for nice Chinese cuisine dining experience with professional staffs, this place is for you. It's an excellent place to take your business partner or to impress someone with nice dining area. The food is good, lot of options to choose from. This restaurant is in the top 10 Chinese restaurants in Boston area that offers excellent crispy duck, so you should def give this restaurant a try. It's family style so prepare to have your food shared. However, you are definitely paying the price for the nice atmosphere, our bill comes out to be $70 each but the food don't match the price point.
Had dinner there. In general, there is absolutely nothing special about this place except it is very overpriced and the portions are very small for the price. Most dishes cost around $30 or more for small portions of oily food filled with cheap vegetable. Most fish dishes use cheap type of fresh water fish easily farmed yet still expensive. Virgin drinks are also expensive and taste like sugar and colored water Only reason the place is popular is because of location near Kendal square with business people expensing meals and don't care much about the value. If you are looking for a good food , value and ambiance, this is not the place to go. For me, I will never go back there again. Terrible value.
Have been here a couple of times, and the food was great. Not the typical Americanized Chinese sweet and supersized food, and it was nicely spiced. In fact, I rather wished it were more supersized for the price and considering how good it was. Music wasn't too loud at early dinner time, if you actually want to have a conversation with someone without yelling, and ambiance was pleasant.
Restaurantji Recommends
When Sumiao first opened in 2017 I got violently sick from how spicy the food was (I have no spice tolerance). I'm happy to report back that there's more non spicy and even less spicy options. A bit expensive, which is typical for the area, but the portions are kinda decently sized enough.There's a lot of dishes that are spicy and you can get no spicy, and some where the lowest they can go is medium spicy. Those were still good but I could only eat a few bites. Similarly, there are some dishes you can ask for vegetarian, the the vegetable dishes or the fried rice.Went with one coworker who couldn't eat seafood, one couldn't eat meat or seafood, and one who was allergic to peanuts. We got a couple of vegetarian options (rice, noodles, one veggie dish that had the option of no meat). When the food came out, they were all labeled with little flags saying "vegetarian" and "allergy". Except the allergies flags were a little inconsistent because one was in a dish without peanuts and one was in a dish made with peanut sauce. I think we would have benefitted from an explanation about the flags because the friend allergic to peanuts was the one who first ate the dish with the peanut sauce, thinking that it meant it was ok. We should have known by reading the menu but it was a bit confusing.Vegetarian options: Limited
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
We love this place! We basically go there for dinner 1 or 2 times a month. The food is authentic and hit the spot. And they have a full bar with amazing cocktails. This is definitely one of the best Chinese food restaurants in the city!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just had a wonderful dinner at Sumiao -- the food was excellent as always, and a special shout out to our server Bernadette who provided amazing service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Popcorn Chicken
The food was absolutely phenomenal. I personally like our waitress- Bernadette, she was so nice and helpful. Highly recommended!
Service and food were remarkable! Fast and friendly service food is up to par. Our server name Bernadette request for her and she will take care of you!