Ixlb Dim Sum Eats sits on the busy corner of Sunset Boulevard and Bronson Avenue. The restaurant is helmed by 77-year-old Tony Ying, a third generation Chinese restaurateur who can be seen working in the restaurant every day. The dim sum is made in-house, with the staff visible in the open kitchen rolling out dough, steaming, baking, and frying various dishes. The most popular item is the flaky French-style baked cha siu bao. Other favorites include egg custard tarts, pan-fried turnip cakes, scallion pancake, and xiao long bao dumplings. Dim sum is served all day until 9 p.m. except on Sundays when the shop closes at 8 p.m. The hip, to-go-only establishment has a wall lined with iPads for contactless ordering and also offers online ordering and curbside pick up.

Although dim sum is typically a breakfast or brunch meal, Lunasia serves it from morning until night. The ambiance is luxurious and showy. Tea is served in heavy iron kettles and dumplings are jumbo-sized. Although they have a number of items that are on the gimmicky side — like the truffle siu mai, caviar siu mai, lobster rice rolls, and the super-sized shrimp har gow dumplings — Lunasia’s traditional dishes are solid. There’s a number of modernized takes on dishes like the scallop dumpling with squid ink and the fried sweet potato mochi balls with salted egg yolk that cements Lunasia as the go-to for upscale dim sum. Lunasia offers online ordering, as well as curbside pick up but don’t expect to see push carts here.

Elite is another high-end dim sum restaurant. Ordering is done via paper menu. No carts here, but they do have staff walking around with trays of dim sum fresh from the oven sometimes. Whereas most dim sum restaurants only have beef, barbecue pork, or shrimp rice rolls, Elite has all three along with its own unique shrimp and asparagus rice roll. In addition to traditional buns and dumplings, Elite also has more modern dishes such as fried taro cake with pork, a pork- and wood ear mushroom-stuffed bean curd wrap in oyster sauce, scallop dumplings, and fried shrimp dumplings. The Macau roast pork is a must-order dish, but don’t forget the steamed turnip cake, baked durian pie, barbecue pork pastry puff, white almond fluffy bun, and the snowy mountain bun.  

Atlantic Seafood serves dim sum favorites like the egg white snow bun, mini pineapple salted egg yolk bun, egg tarts, mango pudding, and fried turnip cake. Although most of the dishes are above par, the star is the mini salted egg yolk pineapple buns that are carried out on trays fresh from the oven. The restaurant is among a select few left in Los Angeles that still uses push carts. Atlantic Seafood also sells a number of its dim sum frozen for takeout.

NBC Seafood is a landmark in the San Gabriel Valley. The restaurant has been around for decades and serves dim sum everyday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with push cart service. The best dish is the special “To To” ma lai go sponge cake, which is layered with salted duck yolk and made using a recipe from a famous Hong Kong chef and food personality (梁文韜). The dim sum offerings are vast, but don’t be alarmed as there’s a picture menu for the uninitiated.

Lucky 1 is the go-to spot for no-frills and inexpensive dim sum takeout. The huge variety of fast-food dim sum offerings are not the most refined, but everything hits the spot when there’s a craving. Favorites include the fried yam dumpling, oatmeal snow durian bun, siu mai, har gow, and chicken feet — there’s also cute pig-shaped pork buns. Take a look at the online picture menu written in English and Chinese and order by phone to avoid waiting in line. Open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Five Star is a sit-down dim sum restaurant that’s been around for decades in the San Gabriel Valley. Located on the fourth floor of the landmark Focus Plaza on Valley Boulevard, the restaurant is known for its value, large portions, and push cart service. Prior to the pandemic, the wait on weekends would regularly be up to two hours. The menu is currently limited due to the pandemic, but expect the more unique, specialty dishes to return soon. Diners’ temperatures are taken at the door, while servers wear face masks and shields.

Opened in 1993, 888 Seafood seats up to 800 people and is one of the last Cantonese restaurants of its size to weather the pandemic. While many dim sum restaurants have switched from push carts to paper menus in recent years, you’ll still find aunties making their rounds at 888 Seafood.

The restaurant has an online ordering system and offers vacuum-sealed dim sum to-go.

There’s no avoiding a wait at Sea Harbour on weekdays and weekends. The dim sum, which is priced higher than competitors, is ordered using a menu. However, servers offer fresh-from-the-oven dim sum some times. Fan favorites include the French-style baked barbecue pork, durian pastries, sticky rice balls stuffed with salted egg yolk, salt and pepper calamari, charcoal skin har gow, and truffle siu mai. Also look for creative fusion dishes like the shrimp and roe dumplings, egg tofu in abalone sauce, green spinach pork buns, and deep-fried fish paste with chives.

Although Tong Tak used to have push carts, it has since switched to making dim sum fresh to order. The dim sum selection is not as large as other restaurants, but everyone loves the pig-shaped purple yam buns, pan-fried dumplings, jellyfish, egg tarts, rice rolls, claypot rice, and chicken feet. 

Even though China Red has reduced the variety of dim sum on the menu due to the pandemic, lines are still out the door for dine-in and takeout. The purple yam crispy bao is a must-order, with its salted egg custard center. China Red has both the traditional steamed barbecue pork bun, as well as the hard-to-find French-style baked barbecue pork bun. Also good are the chicken feet that slide off the bone and pan-fried turnip cake with XO sauce. The fried crushed peanut crepe and water chestnut cake make for a sweet ending.

Service is fast and the dim sum is fresh at Ocean Bo. Dim sum is sold behind the counter and is served with such efficiency that the long lines move quickly. There’s also a picture menu for those who need help ordering. Find pineapple barbecue pork buns, coconut and taro cake, garlic spare ribs, deep fried taro pastries, among a long list of favorites. 

J. Zhou is a pricey favorite among Orange County residents. Don’t go looking for carts, simply order off the paper menu and wait for the dim sum to arrive. The shrimp and chive dumplings, egg tarts, and garlic spareribs are solid. The lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice, chicken feet, and steamed rice rolls are highly recommended as well.