Dim Sum
Dumplings, buns and rice rolls for sharing, from Chinatown's big banquet halls to the North Side.
Filters
Categories
Tags
Dolo Restaurant & Bar
Carefully made dumplings and buns in a polished dining room. Many consider it Chinatown's best dim sum.
MingHin Cuisine
A big, lively Cantonese hall and a reliable first dim sum stop, with a long menu that works for groups.
Triple Crown Restaurant
A buzzy, crowded dim sum feast on Wentworth. Share a big table and order plenty.
Phoenix Restaurant
A longtime Chinatown dim sum institution with a second-floor dining room over Archer Avenue.
Imperial Restaurant
A large banquet-style dining room in Chinatown Square with a deep dim sum menu.
D Cuisine
Made-to-order dim sum on the North Side that holds its own against Chinatown.
Furama
Uptown's big old-school Cantonese banquet hall, serving dim sum near Argyle Street since 1985.
How dim sum works
Dim sum is Cantonese small plates meant for sharing: steamed dumplings, fluffy buns, rice noodle rolls and sweet egg tarts, traditionally eaten with tea as a late-morning or midday meal. Bring a group, order a lot, and pass everything around.
What to order first:
- Har gow: shrimp dumplings in a translucent wrapper
- Siu mai: open-topped pork and shrimp dumplings
- Char siu bao: barbecue pork buns, steamed or baked
- Cheung fun: silky rice noodle rolls
- Egg tarts: custard in a flaky crust, for dessert
Where to go: Chinatown, around Archer Avenue and Wentworth Avenue, is the center of Chicago's dim sum. Some restaurants still push carts, but most now use a paper menu you mark up.
Good to know: weekends are busiest. Go earlier in the day with a group and share. Explore the area with our South Loop & Chinatown guide.