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House of Dimsum: Lots of Fresh Dimsum for Reasonable Prices

House of Dimsum is easy to recognize on Jackson between Stockton and Grant, with its blue canopies covering their little "parklet" holding a couple tables and chairs.

 


House of Dimsum is a casual restaurant where you order at the counter, and get the stuff immediately (unless its a special item, which may take a little longer), and seat yourself, and they offer a lot of fresh dimsum, both sweet and savory, for reasonable prices. House of Dimsum is also a bit unusual in that they will sell you individual pieces instead of sets of 3 or 4 so you can try everything. Most places that sell dimsum will only sell you whole sets.

They often have a line outside, as they move a LOT of dimsum daily and everything is fresh. 

They also have more than just dimsum. They can also get you steamed rice with pork ribs, wonton noodle soup, soy milk, boba tea, rice noodle rolls, and so on.  You can just point and order, or you can try ordering off the menu. The menu's way too long to list here. 

Their hours are extensive, from 7AM to almost 7PM. However, just keep in mind if you go near closing your selection may be limited. On the other hand, you may get extras with your order as they really don't want to dump anything edible.  

They do take credit card or debit card. 

You can definitely order the "Four Heavenly Kings of Dimsum", namely Har-gow 蝦餃 (shrimp dumpling), Siu-mai 燒賣 (pork dumpling), Cha-siu-bao 叉燒包 (BBQ pork bun), and Dan-tat 蛋撻 (HK-style egg tart) if you are not sure what to order, but feel free to try lots of other stuff as well. With dozens of different dimsum on the menu, there should be something you like. Try the Jin-dui 煎堆 (sesame ball) as a dessert.  

In the summer, they may have Zhong-zhi 粽子 (Chinese tamales) available as well. 

After you pay for your stuff, pick your seating either outside or inside. Just be warned, the inside can get REALLY warm on certain days, as the inside dining room is above the kitchen. When you're done, please dump the garbage in the bin right under the sandwich board outside, and put the tray and plates back inside next to the stairs up. 

There is a restroom available upstairs, Due to heavy use, it may not be as clean as it can be, but tolerable. 

All in all, this place offers a lot of fresh dimsum, for reasonable prices. If you like to try things, this is a good spot to try in Chinatown and not spend a lot of money.


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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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