Beware.Ownership has changed hands. This store is no longer an affiliate, franchise, or associate of the original Yum Cha Cafes. The food definitely tastes different.....Cheers and happy eating.....
Reviewed by:
TinTin S. on:
2/28/2013 3:27:00 PM
I suppose it was okay...But i didnt really like it.. im sorry :-(Some of the dumplings were dry and the staff is not very friendly...It kind of killed my dim sum cravings... but the Sweet rice cake was good.
Reviewed by:
Sarah M. on:
2/2/2013 12:14:00 PM
Really tasty pork buns and egg tarts. Very inexpensive too. Cash only. Located in Old Chinatown. I was the only white person in the place, it was awesome.
Reviewed by:
Phillip N. on:
1/6/2013 7:39:00 PM
I highly recommend not going. I like the OC and SD location but this location kind of sucks. In the heart of Chinatown, you would think the food would be decent but it's not. It's somewhat cheap per item but it takes a couple of items to get full and you'll end up paying more than if you go to a restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal here. Very regretful.
Reviewed by:
Ali L. on:
12/15/2012 1:49:00 PM
Always fulfills my dim sum cravings and it's SOOO cheap!!I always get the congee here w/ pork or preserved eggs and all the usual plates (har gow, siu mai, shrimp rice noodle, tea, and egg tart for dessert!) :)great for a quick, cheap breakfast or lunch. happy eating xo
Reviewed by:
S L. on:
12/13/2012 3:29:00 AM
You get what you pay here. Food is ok, price is cheap. Service is inconsistent. There were several times when I was the only customer in there, the server sees me walking in, continues to talk/gossip in Chinese with her co-worker or friendly and ignore me for several minutes. They don't even apologize when they decide they are done with their talking and help me.It seems that the quality of food has gone down at this place compared to two years ago.
Reviewed by:
Maria G. on:
11/21/2012 7:49:00 AM
I was looking for breakfast dim sum in Chinatown and this cafe came up in the Yelp search results. They open early at 7 or 7:30am. This place is cash only.I saw some pictures and reviews and could not believe they have shu mai and har gow for only 99 cents. When I walked in, I soon realized that I was wrong. They are no longer 99 cents. They increased the prices to now $1.49 plus tax.What is confusing is that they have multiple labels for everything. I was looking at the menu and it says $1.29 per har gow dish. Then on the glass window, it says $1.49 per har gow dish. Of course, it came out $1.49 plus additional tax.http://www.yelp.com/biz_…The har gow was only okay. Not the best. The house special bun (one big bun for $1.49 plus tax) was REALLY good. I really liked it. It was yummy and tasty. Because it was cash only, I could only try so many items.This place is cheap and popular. Although it is difficult to see what they actually offer because all the steamed dishes are covered and the labels are extremely confusing. There is no trash can at the restaurant so I had no place to throw away plastic utensils after eating here.
Reviewed by:
Chelle D. on:
10/14/2012 8:21:00 AM
Greeting dim sum craving diners at the entrance to Chinatown, Los Angeles is Yum Cha Cafe. A neon green menu board with pictures of the various delicacies featured on it makes customers feel like each dish is floating on its own leafy pad and leaping off of the screen. The lovely waitresses in their yellow shirt and white apron uniform speak both English and Mandarin. The best is of course the har gow for $1.49 (4pcs) and the shiu mai for $1.19 (4pcs). The fried shrimp balls were also good except we came in the late evening so they had been sitting there the whole day and weren't as crispy. They are shrimp and meat filled respectively with no fat in them at all. The turnip cakes turned out to be a disappointment because they were so soft and didn't have enough turnips in them. Overall it was nothing stellar but it was fast and cheap.
Reviewed by:
Chalee T. on:
10/9/2012 4:10:00 PM
+ free validated parking (w/ $10 purchase). Sign posted on the side entrance door. Small parking lot just north of Yum Cha Cafe. Thank you for the tip Yelp.+ $10.92 spent on: 2 item combo w/ free soup ($3.49); 8 sui mai; 4 har gow; 3 sesame balls; 1 house special bun (A items $1.19 & B items $1.49)- The food at 1:30 pm looked old.- Sui mai & har gow tasted bland, flavorless.- HS bun (huge gai bao w/ egg & sausage) was cold and the bun inside was mushy (yuck, but I was starving so I ate it, lol).+ Sesame balls surprisingly decent.- Sold out of egg custard tarts (booo!)- Tables were dirty/not wiped downAlthough it has an "A" grade, not sure if I will be coming back anytime soon. I'd rather pay a couple bucks for meter parking and go else where for togo.
Reviewed by:
Doug C. on:
8/27/2012 4:52:00 PM
It saddens me I couldn't find a dim sum place on yelp with more than 3 stars. That being said, Yum Cha Café is well priced and pretty decent. It's almost a lunch room type feel with walk up and order style and cafeteria trays. The food was a bit cold, but it was decent for the price. 'Got the typical shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, chicken feet, etc. Girlfriend got the vegetarian bun and red bean buns which she enjoyed. They also had rice noodles that were vegetarian that were tasty. The chicken feet were surprisingly decent, as was everything else. They did not have sticky rice though, sad day. I'd come back when I'm in LA for the price and decent dim sum. Don't expect gourmet, this isn't San Francisco.
Reviewed by:
Shira C. on:
8/23/2012 12:46:00 PM
A review for the Yum Cha chain in Chinatown ONLY! Please note that the one in Monterey Park is MUCH better.One of the worst dim sum experiences I've had in a while. The only redeeming quality is that the baked BBQ pork buns are still delicious. I didn't order too many things this last time I visited, but that's because nothing really looks that appetizing...Good:- Baked BBQ pork buns: The dough on the baked buns is really, really good. It's also really cheap, so that's always a bonus.Not so good:- Big white bun: Not sure what the name is in English but it's literally the big, white steamed bun that has a meat filling. I've had much better. The filling is flavorless and the dough becomes soggy on the inside.- Cleanliness: I know it's Chinatown, but this is still really really gross. It definitely doesn't help the food look any better.
Reviewed by:
Sally K. on:
7/24/2012 6:51:00 PM
I'm giving this place a 2star because of the price, if not I would give 1star. The service s horrible... dim sum is cheap and decent. Oh and DONT get the iced tea they have for .99 cents. NOT GOOD!
Reviewed by:
Monica T. on:
7/3/2012 9:57:00 AM
Terrible place! Cold dim sum and tasteless food! Oh and they serve boiling hot water! Huh why? Pls save your few bucks go else where
Reviewed by:
Gina B. on:
4/25/2012 12:21:00 AM
Flies flying around the store...Food looked unpleasantly old by 1PMish. Perhaps you should come earlier to get fresher fare? Fried shrimp balls were okay. Looks like prices might have risen. Wonton soup was about $5 instead of $3.Parking was $1 with over $10 purchase. But... I don't think I'd recommend this place. You can definitely find better quality, fresher dimsum in SGV for similar prices
Reviewed by:
Frances L. on:
4/7/2012 7:46:00 AM
Yum Cha is a fast food-style dim sum counter located in Chinatown, and while the idea of snacking on some incredibly inexpensive shu mai and har gow while on the go seems like a great idea, unfortunately,this place has other problems that can ruin an appetite. I'm not opposed to this sort of deli-style locale, however, their "dining area" isn't very clean and I can't help but feel just a little grossed out. I'd assume getting stuff to-go would be a better option if you were in desperate need of cheap dim sum, but I just don't find it worth it-- taste is standard; nothing worth remembering.
Reviewed by:
xx x. on:
3/26/2012 12:53:00 PM
This is not your regular Sunday-morning-wait-for-carts-miss-your-favorites-$50-per-plate dim sum. This place is cafeteria style, everything ready now, most for $1.50 per order, (usually three pieces). I found all of my favorites and stuffed myself for under $6.This place us a superb value. I've had bad dim sum and this isn't it. It's not the best I've ever had either but it is clear and above the best I've had for the price.If I lived anywhere nearby, this could easily become my favorite dim sum place.
Reviewed by:
Richard L. on:
2/7/2012 5:54:00 PM
Order the donut roll and chicken congee.The chicken congee soup is terrible, too much rice, not cook properly. the meat (chicken) was delicious it does cost more than usual congee since the chicken is the same one you brought from their hainan chicken i believe.
Reviewed by:
Shirley Z. on:
1/27/2012 2:34:00 PM
I will start this review with the words... you gotta know what it's good for.Expecting gourmet dimsum with atmosphere and service? CERTAINLY not here. This place is slightly gritty and cuts right to the chase.Cheap prices (lunch for two under 10 dollars?!)Great varietyHot and freshly made fareFREE PARKINGI love that its open super early for all of us who are too lazy to make breakfast but can't last without. My favorite dishes here are their ham sui gow (fried dumplings), cheung fen (rice noodles), and saving the best for last... 2.99 dumplings in soup!Porridge is also solid. Heard good things about loh mai gai (rice chicken wrapped in leaves) but never ate any myself.Aside from dim sum they also have fantastic lunch combo specials that are again, super cheap! BBQ Pork, Duck, Chicken, etc. etc.This is a go-to for a breakfast on the go or fast lunch, certainly not a fancy, special occasion kind of place, but there is definitely a place in my heart (and tummy) for Yum Cha!
Reviewed by:
Alen L. on:
1/9/2012 11:54:00 AM
The Monterey Park location is much better than the one in Chinatown.The breakdown:Pork Shu Mai: 4/5Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings): 3.5/5Turnip Cake: 1/5Pearl Sticky Rice w/ Chicken Wrapped in Lotus Leaves: Sold OutMy Food Rating = B+Ambience: 2.5/5Service: 1/5Clean: 1/5My Experience Rating: D+Location: 2/5Wait: 4/5Hours: 3/5Parking: 0/5My Convenience Rating: CPros:- Cheap no-fuss dim sum to go.- Opens early at 6:30AMCons:- Turnip cake tasted horrible.- They didn't have the Sticky Rice w/ Lotus Leaves, which was my favorite item from the Monterey Park location.- Even dirtier than the Monterey Park location.- Only metered street parking available.- Closes early at 5pm.- Service w/ an attitude.Tip: Entering Chinatown through Broadway, it is the first restaurant on your right.Tip: Don't come here in the afternoon or you will get leftover scraps.Tip: Cash only.Bottom Line: Skip it. Go to the Monterey Park location instead.
Reviewed by:
Ryan O. on:
2008-12-02
Has a great variety of dim sum dishes. They have very good baked cha-shu bow (bun with bbq pork filling), ha-gow, rice cakes, and shu-mei. Great service as well. ...?
AVG:(NaN)
