Dumpling nirvana? Dim sum heaven? We’ve got you covered with three fab eateries.
Lunar New Year festivities are underway across the Bay Area this month, and food is always central to our celebrations — especially given our appetite for piping hot, toothsome dumplings, from steamed to pan-fried, vegetarian to pork-filled. We’ve got you covered when it comes to dim sum destinations. Here are three great spots to get your fix in San Francisco, Oakland, Daly City and beyond.
1 Shandong Restaurant
An Oakland Chinatown institution, this northern Chinese restaurant specializes in hand-pulled noodles and delicious dumplings (10 for $10.50 to $11.75), including vegetarian, chicken, boiled pork with leeks and the special Shandong dumplings, made with pork and vegetables. They’re on the larger side, and come out piping hot, juicy and flavorful. Expect lines. It’s worth it.
DETAILS >> Open from 11 a.m. Monday-Saturday at 328 10th St., Oakland; shandongoakland.com.
2 China Live
If you’re looking for modern dumpling theater, look no further than this massive epicurean destination in Chinatown. Grab a seat overlooking the dumpling-making station — there are a total of six dim sum items on the menu — and prepare to be wowed as masterful chefs craft sheng jian bao (four for $12) in massive castiron pans. In addition to these hot and juicy pork dumplings, they also offer Sichuan “working hands” dumplings with sesame butter in peppercorn-chile broth (10 for $12). Either way, you’ll want your own order.
DETAILS >> Open from 11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday and from 10:30 a.m. Saturday-Sunday at 644 Broadway, San Francisco; chinalivesf.com.
3 Koi Palace
This traditional dim sum parlor is the real deal: Packed to the gills on weekends and synonymous with dumpling devotion. Look for Six Guys XLB ($11.80), a sampler of delicate soup-filled dumplings, including pork, spinach-kale, beet, turmeric crab and squid-ink black truffle, and others filled with shrimp and pea shoots and crab roe and sea bass. We’re glad there are three locations in the Bay Area.
DETAILS >> Dim sum is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m weekdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays at 365 Gellert Blvd. in Daily City, 768 Barber Lane in Milpitas and at 4288 Dublin Blvd., Suite 213, in Dublin; www.koipalace.com.