When it comes to dining experiences, most of the time the group of people we dine with can be just as much fun as the foods we are sharing together. There is no better way to experience both the fun and the food than by getting together a few of your closest pals and heading out for those amazing small plates known as dim sum. Los Angeles just so happens to have so many dim sum offerings to choose from. If you are not able to drive all over town sampling the steamed buns and pot stickers of the best local spots, then keep reading to learn about the top dim sum restaurants in Los Angeles.
Featuring authentic Cantonese dim sum, Elite Restaurant can be found on Atlantic Boulevard. Diners from all over will be sure to enjoy their fresh scratch-made offerings. I like to order their chiu-chow style meat dumpling and spareribs with chili and black bean sauce. They even have plenty of options for the seafood lovers and vegetarians such as their sticky rice lotus leaf wrap and their prawns with egg cream. Anywhere I go, I always have to try their shrimp dumplings and their siu mai dumplings (pork & shrimp). This restaurant does it well and may actually be one of my favorites in the area. They feature all of the traditional dim sum favorites you would expect at a top-notch establishment, so be sure to come hungry and bring plenty of friends.
What I recommend: siu mai, spareribs, and sticky rice lotus leaf wrap
Location: 700 S Atlantic Blvd Monterey Park, CA 91754
Lunasia boasts that they are the place to bring people together. Their dim sum offerings have a great way of doing just that. With multiple locations serving the Los Angeles area, they offer all of the dim sum dishes that I know and love. As with any afternoon enjoying dim sum, I start out with a hot cup of their Taiwanese jasmine tea. My favorite of their small plate offerings includes their pork bean curd wrap, deep fried taro cake, and rice noodle roll with Chinese donuts. Have you ever had egg custards at normal dim sum places? Well, this dim sum restaurant is known for their Portuguese style but also known as Macao-style egg custard and chilled sago with mango and grapefruit, which is a great way to satisfy that sweet tooth.
What I recommend: Macao-style egg custard and Chinese donuts
Location: 239 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101
Located on Los Angeles’s iconic Sunset Boulevard, Ixlb Dim Sum Eats is a great spot to visit on your next trip to LaLa land. When I go, I start off with one of their iced coconut tapioca drinks with its chewy boba pearls. Their other fantastic offerings include their scallion pancake, shrimp and chive dumplings, and curry chicken puffs. For dessert, their steamed red bean buns and ma la gao layered cake are always quite the treat for those friends who enjoy their sweets.
What I recommend: scallion pancake and curry chicken puffs
Location: 5900 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028
Sometimes a bad meal can be made much better thanks only to the company we keep. The awesome thing about dim sum is that it gives us the chance to combine great company with our favorite foods. If you are going to be in the Los Angeles area, skip Hollywood Boulevard or any other of those tourist traps and take a trip to one of the above spots. The food will be just as good as the company.