When I go to an Italian restaurant, I want something new, but Italians want a taste of their grandmothers’ kitchens. And I get it. When I get dim sum, I want it to taste exactly as it did when I was a child. This is an insider’s guide to Northern Virginia dim sum. It’s a list for Cantonese authenticity, not fusion. This is where Cantonese people get dim sum.

How Chinese People Pick Where to Eat

Until a few years ago, my family trekked up to Rockville to get Chinese food. But Chinese restaurants have been springing up all over Northern Virginia lately, bringing a depth and breadth of Chinese cuisine heretofore unseen. Here’s a Chinese person’s guide to the best Chinese restaurants in Northern Virginia – because life is too short to go to Maryland.

If you check on Yelp in Northern Virginia, some of the most popular dishes at top-rated restaurants are orange chicken, chicken fried rice, and moo shu pork. And no shame on any of these dishes. But that’s Chinese American food and that’s a list for a different day. This is a list of restaurants I could take my family to.

What is Cantonese Food?

Dim sum is a staple of Cantonese cuisine, but what exactly is Cantonese food? Generally speaking, Cantonese food encompasses the cuisine and cooking styles of Hong Kong, Macau, and the Guangdong province in China. You likely already know Cantonese food because many of the early wave of Chinese immigrants were Cantonese. Thus, most Chinese restaurants in the West were Cantonese restaurants until this century.

Though Cantonese cooking uses soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and scallions the emphasis is on high-quality raw ingredients. Because this region is coastal, there’s a heavy emphasis on seafood.

 

What is Dim Sum? 

“Dim sum” literally translates to “touch the heart.” To the uninitiated, dim sum could be described as Chinese tapas served with tea during brunch times. Chinese families flock to dim sum restaurants on the weekends.

The dishes usually come in servings of 3 or 4. The dishes have a strong emphasis on shrimp, because Guangdong is a coastal area.

In many dim sum restaurants, waiters go around the restaurant pushing silver carts holding premade dim sum dishes in silver or bamboo tins and each table would then get to judge the wares and order as many as they like. The waiters would then stamp or initial the table’s check with the appropriate costs of the items.

What Do I Order?

My family was once seated with a mainland-Chinese family at dim sum, and though the menu wasn’t expansive, we ordered completely different items. Also our ordering styles were completely different. The mainland family had tons of plates of food on their side of the table that they ate very slowly, and they left with a little food still on the table. Our family gobbled everything up as soon as it came, so our side of the table was constantly empty. I thought we looked like brutes. Anyway, suffice to say that everything on the dim sum menu sells to someone.

My favorites are:

• Steamed shrimp dumpling 蝦餃 xiā jiǎo (Mandarin); hā gáau (Cantonese);

• Fried taro dumpling 芋角 yù jiǎo; wuh gok – a dumpling with a taro and meat filling and a crispy deep fried texure on the outside;

• Rice noodle crepe 腸粉 chángfěn; chéungfán – it’s like a steamed lasagna noodle (made of rice instead of flour) wrapped around beef or shrimp filling;

• Deep fried pork dumpling 鹹水角 xiánshuǐ jiǎo; hàahm séui gok – this dumpling has a crispy outside and a salty sweet filling;

• Cruller rice noodle crepes 炸兩; jaléung – steamed rice noodled wrapped around fried dough – it’s the perfect balance between soft and crispy;

• Steamed beef tripe 牛柏葉; niu bai ye; ngau pak yip – the broth is so delicious, you might forget you’re eating intestines. The leafy garnish gives you some greens; and

• Steamed beef ball 山竹牛肉丸; niúròu wán; ngàuh yuhk yún – this is basically just a meatball served on tofu skin.

I also really love:

• roast pork buns 叉燒餐包 chāshāo bāo; chāsīu bāau – baked bun with a delicious sweet and savory roast pork filling;

• sweet cream buns奶黃包 nǎihuáng bāo; náaih wòhng bāau – steamed bun with a yellow custard filling;

• sticky rice 糯米雞 nuòmǐjī ; noh máih gāi – rice wrapped in lotus leaves usually containing meat, an egg yolk, and veg;

• congee 粥 zhōu; jūk – rice porridge with your choice of meat and toppings;  

• fried cruller 油條 yóutiáo ; yàuh tíu – fried dough typically dipped in hot soy milk or rice porridge; and

• pan-fried radish cake 蘿蔔糕 luóbo gāo; lòh baahk gōu – pan-fried shredded radish and toppings – this is savory, not sweet. Typically served with oyster sauce.

 

For dessert, my favorite is the baked egg custard tart 蛋撻 dàntǎ ; daahn tāat, the Cantonese version of the Portuguese pasteis de nata. Other popular desserts are

• pineapple buns 菠蘿包 bo luo bao– a sweet bread with a crackle-y sugary topping that looks like the outside of a pineapple–this does not actually contain pineapple

• tofu pudding 豆腐花; doufu hua; doufu fa – soft tofu served in a syrup that you think should be sweeter.

I like chicken feet (also known as “phoenix claws”) but if it’s done improperly the texture is quite rubbery. And any kind of fried dumpling is going to be tasty. I also know that siu maa i燒賣 (shāomài ; sīu máai) is very popular but I hate hate hate siu maai. Anyway, if you’re in a dim sum restaurant with trolleys, just order what looks good.  

Dim sum might not be filling enough for you. My family always ends our meal with a full-sized dish or seafood chow mein 海鲜炒面 hǎi xiān chǎo miàn; hoi seen chow meen or beef chow ho fun 乾炒牛河.

 

Tea

One way to say to go to dim sum is to go “yum cha” which literally means “drink tea.” Sorry, drunkards! Tea is an integral part of dim sum.

Obviously you can get green, black or oolong tea. But there are a few lesser known teas that are typical at dim sum.

Pounei or Pu-erh Tea

This compressed black tea from Yunnan is the typical tea served with dim sum. Though it’s considered super strong and an acquired taste, I grew up drinking the stuff.

Chrysanthemum Tea

Chrysanthemum tea is one of my favorites. It’s made by steeping chrysanthemum flowers and then poured into cups with rock sugar.

Dim Sum Tips and Tricks

Dim sum can be an overwhelming experience your first time. Many dim sum restaurants are huge cavernous spaces filled with people, aromas, and activity. Some dim sum restaurants, particularly in cosmopolitan cities, don’t necessarily have to cater to English-speakers. Their clientele is Chinese immigrants so the language of choice is Cantonese.

• You generally can’t make reservations - it’s first-come, first-serve. You put your name on the list and the hostess will call out your name when there’s a table for you. It seems like a stressful job but it’s all very democratic. In some of the busiest restaurants, you may be seated with another party at the same table. (I’ve never seen this happen in Northern Virginia though).

• Waiters will generally know enough English to suit your needs - whether for water, forks, or high chairs. If there’s a severe language barrier, just point to the foods you like - either on the cart or on the menu. Just smile a lot (or if you’re wearing a mask, smile with your eyes).

• Dim sum tables usually include a few sauces. Typically, these sauces include soy sauce, red or black vinegar, and sriracha. Another is a chili sauce/chili oil. Don’t worry – it’s not too spicy. I can’t take spicy.  Some other sauces that can appear at dim sum include oyster sauce, XO sauce, hoisin sauce, plum sauce, hot mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Szechuan salt and pepper, white pepper, and different kinds of soy sauce.

• To signal that you need more tea, flip open the lid of your tea pot or place the teapot lid off the teapot.

• Chinese servers are not as polite or attentive as those in the West. Brisk doesn’t mean unfriendly.

• Having eaten dim sum all over the country and in several other countries, Northern Virginia is still a bit of a newbie to dim sum. But the industry is growing here and should be encouraged. You will get better dim sum in New York or California. But as more people go to dim sum, more restaurants will join, and competition will drive up results.

• Unless you’re ordering dim sum a la carte, or you came the minute the restaurant opened, you should be highly suspicious of dim sum in an empty restaurant. Dim sum needs to be fresh.

• If you want to get someone’s attention, or say thank you, say 唔該; m’goi.

Hot Peppercorn
Springfield

A still unknown cute spot where you order your dim sum and it’s delivered piping hot and delicious to your table. Particular standouts include very crispy cruller rice noodle crepes and deep fried taro dumplings. Get here before word gets out and it overcrowds!

Hong Kong Pearl
Fall Church

Credit where it’s due, this is the OG Cantonese restaurant in the area. Even though the restaurant is humongous, pre-Covid, you could still wait an hour to get a table on the weekends for dim sum.

Han Palace
McLean

Located in former upscale Asian restaurant TenPenh, this is the most beautiful dim sum restaurant in the area. Han Palace opened up during the pandemic. The restaurant seems too narrow for trolleys so the waiters bring dim sum over on platters and you can order off the menu. There’s also an extensive congee menu.

Sparrow Room
Arlington

Honestly, I’ve never had cocktails with dim sum before. I’m not against it, but it’s never been an option. Sparrow Room is a speakeasy in the Bun’d Up restaurant in Pentagon Row. It serves

A&J
Annandale

You know a dim sum restaurant is catering to a Chinese audience if they have 油條 (you tiao - fried bread stick) and 甜豆漿 (tian dou jiang sweet soybean milk). It’s the kind of meal that only a Chinese person would love because it’s so simple, but it’s so homey. You dip the breadstick in the milk and then you drink the rest of it down. I would finish with 紅豆甜粥 (hong dou tien zhou) sweet red bean rice porridge for a real taste of my childhood.

Kungfu Kitchen
Alexandria

Kungfu Kitchen doesn’t have an extensive dim sum menu, but what it does have is soup dumplings and bao, and that’s good enough. Kungfu’s soup dumplings come in two flavors - traditional pork soup and crab and pork soup. For a filling snack, try the scallion pancake with sliced beef. And when you don’t want to order a $75 Peking duck, just get Kungfu’s Peking Duck Bun for $10.75.

Sino’s Inn
Centreville

Located in an unassuming shopping plaza, this is my favorite place to get salt and pepper squid. For the allergy- conscious, there is no MSG, the food is cooked with 100% vegetable oil, and brown rice is available upon request.

Golden Hong Kong
Springfield

Twenty-year restaurant veterans of DC’s Young Chow Restaurant came out of retirement to bring delicious dim sum to Springfield. There are 31 items just on the dim menu, and the restaurant serves dim sum everyday - no reason to wait for the weekend!

Sampan Cafe
Alexandria

An extensive menu really makes this dim sum restaurant stand out. Five flavors of Congee (including duck blood and Canadian codfish), Hong Kong noodle soups (9 varieties), and many customizable pan fried noodles and chow foons - make this place a dim sum delight.

99 Ranch Market
Fairfax

Ok this isn’t a restaurant, but a grocery store. But this is where my family gets dim sum to-go. You can get a variety of delicious dim sum fast and cheap. 99 Ranch has the best ham sui gok (鹹水角) - fried glutinous rice dumplings. The dumplings are bigger, fresher, and more delicious at 99 Ranch than at your typical dim sum restaurant - there I said it.

Insider’s Guide to Dim Sum in Northern Virginia

A lot of dim sum restaurants are offering takeout these days. I understand the need to support these restaurants but the food really must be eaten immediately to taste the freshness of the ingredients. I hope soon that we are all able to go out and I may see you at a dim sum restaurant. I hope you’re not ahead of me in line.

 

Updated 1.23.23