Fortune Austin

Best dim sum in Austin, bar none. The family and I (1 adult, 3 kids) showed up at noon on Sunday and were seated immediately.
There were plenty of carts rolling around, and each was manned by someone that was nice enough to explain to my very inquisitive kids what each dish was :).
We sampled a ton of stuff, all of which I loved. I’ve had my fair share of dim sum, and Fortune’s was as good or better than all of them. Combine that with the fantastic service, and you’ve got a 5 star place in my opinion.

Glad to have a DIM SUM place at Chinatown, but really not that great. Food not served hot enough.
Chinese broccoli cold. Literally. This is not TNS restaurant. TNS was the best chinese cuisine in Austin.

I am so sad to see this place closed down. This was my favorite dim sum place in Austin. My sister and I would come on Sunday for their dim sum for a feast. I don’t understand why they closed down because they were always pretty crowded when I visited.
We loved their dim sum because it was authentic dim sum place with people pushing food carts around. They had some of awesome pastries that my sister loved the most. This is so sad to see they went out of business. Now we had to explore new dim sum place in Austin.

An update for Dim Sum.
Scene: Birthday lunch, Sunday dim sum. Four friends, large appetites, crowded room.
Husband: Oh yay, I love dumplings. Munch munch munch.
Cart man: Would you care for some tripe? (dishes out a spoonful for our viewing pleasure)
Husband: *turns white and chokes a bit on a dumpling once he realizes what is on the spoon a mere foot from his face*
Hilarity ensues.
But seriously, dim sum isn’t half bad. The dumplings and shumai were fine and everything seemed fresh enough. We didn’t end up getting the tripe but we did get plenty of duck, noodles, and desserts.
The almond milk tea was so fun for a special occasion, but I don’t quite know how it was supposed to be served (puff pastry + tea?) to more than one participant at the table. Had it been just me I may have dived in head-​first.

This review is based on the buffet in case you’re wondering…
In my continual quest to find decent Chinese buffets to take my mom to, we tried this place just now. The place is huge and looks like a ballroom. The waitstaff was attentive and the selection of items was good. There are more traditional Chinese dishes on the menu that most people haven’t seen, such as chicken feet.
That being said, I was disappointed. Most of the items were not warm enough. The eggplant was super mushy, as was the broccoli in the broccoli and beef. The eggrolls were stale. The fried rice was dry. The General Tso’s chicken had little flavor and had no crispyness.
All in all, I didn’t much care for it and won’t come back.
[ETA]. My mom wanted me to mention that she did love the chandeliers. LOL…

Dim Sum = 5 Stars
Lunch Buffet 3 ½ Stars
Regular Chinese Menu = 4 Stars
Service = 0 Stars
Dim Sum is the best in town as of now. Lunch buffet is excellent too, if you want something fast but fresh and delicious. They have real Chinese food in the buffet and there are vegetarian options too. The menu is quite good too, but hit and miss. They have delicious fried whole flounder, shrimp and egg, and their tofu dishes are delicious.
Their service is horrendous, there is a particular tall lanky guy who has bad service. Just my luck, I’ve been there more than 10 times and I always get stuck in his area. You see him only twice, at the beginning and at the end to bring you your check. He never asks for refills on water or how you are doing, he’s often seen talking to other waiters instead of doing his job. I hardly tip him anything because he does not deserve it.

«Dehydrated broccoli leaves stir fried in butter topped with the Szechuan chicken,» the waiter told me.
«Did I hear him correctly?» I asked the Mister. «Butter???»
I could feel my veins swell and my heart slow down as I scooped up those crisp, tasty broccoli leaves. If I was going to die, I wanted to die happy with a stomach full of butter. My husband, who had a very flavorful dish of sweet, succulent Mongolian Beef, continued to sneak bites of buttery broccoli leaves from my plate. My Szechuan chicken was tender and seasoned perfectly with chilies and spices.
Our Dragon Fizz drink consisting of rum, club soda, cranberry juice and lemon juice from the specialty drink menu was strong and sweet. A piping hot plate of Crab Rangoon started us off in the right direction. Yeah, I know, not authentic Chinese but you really can’t miss with these mounds of joy.
The service is always as perfect as the food. February 3 will ring in the Chinese New Year and Fortune is planning a special feast. I think it will be time to return for another spectacular experience.

I like their buffet. Food varies and is fresh and delicious.
Dim sum is not my favorite though.
The place is large and nice.
Service is so-​so. The waiter forgot to bring our drinks. :(
Overall, it’s a place I’d visit again.

Sunday dimsum… errrrrrrrrrrr nothing to say… food suxzzzzzzz…
comparable to places in LA… notttttttttttt

Certainly some of the best dim sum in town. If there is any place better — I’ve yet to run into it.
An employee at Phở Saigon suggested Fortune for dim sum. My best friend and I had never been to Fortune — but we’re always open to culinary adventures, especially when it comes to dim sum. That’s some serious business.
When we arrived late Saturday morning — the parking lot was rather empty. I was afraid this place was going to be teh suck.
Luckily, it wasn’t.
Fortune is the fanciest looking place for dim sum in Austin to which I’ve been. The dining hall looks like an expansive ballroom with chandeliers and white tables with red seating.
The place didn’t get busy until noon. Even then, the restaurant wasn’t packed. And service was just as quick as it had been when there were only a few customers, which was great.
The pan fried turnip cakes — delish. They were so good, half of my meal was made of turnip cakes. What’s notable is that whereas most places will serve up only one turnip cake, Fortune gives you three. Score.
On top of that, the shrimp and leek dumplings were phenom. I sort of wished they were leek only, but this was just as good.
And the sesame balls — yummay!
A lot of dim sum places in Austin tend to be very bland, but Fortune’s food has flavor — thank goodness. And the Szechuan chili sauce on the table is the second best I’ve had in town.
This is my new favorite place for dim sum.

I have been eating dim sum my entire life, as it is a huge tradition for Asian families to have get togethers over Chinese ‘tapas.’
We had a group of 7 this past weekend and the food brought out on the carts remained warm — never cold — never soggy. The staff was never too pushy with trying to ‘sell’ their food. It was all really great.
I was really surprised by the variety for dim sum that was brought out. I’m used to seeing the same ten dishes at every restaurant and was pleasantly surprised to see duck, roast pork (yes, the skin was crunchy), and several other not-​so-​common dishes.
The only downside was that our drinks weren’t refilled in a timely manner and it took a really long time for us to have them pick up our credit cards for payment — we ended up taking it to the front.
I would highly recommend this place for dim sum; be sure to get there before noon.

This is for the buffet only — not the dim sum or the restaurant’s regular menu.
The buffet sits in what was obviously intended to be a ballroom. It’s a massive space with sporadic, neat tables, low-​hanging chandeliers, and a stage, making it an odd, but not uncomfortable dining room.
The food was flavorful and varied, unlike many cheap buffets where everything tastes the same. Dishes run the gamut from traditional Chinese items like chicken feet to American favorites like sweet-​and-​sour pork. The price justifies a visit for sure.

Have not been back to eat, but did get a response back from the owners that they were very sorry for the way I was treated and the things the wait staff told me. They also went in and changed their website to take out the info about offering Dim Sum during the week, since they don’t really do that anymore after having added the buffet.
It is refreshing to see owners that care about how their employees treat the customers, and immediately take steps to correct the problem, as well as correct misinformation on their website. (Seems to usually trend more the other way, that the customer is made to feel to «get over it», or «oh well, we have other customers» attitude.) That is a big plus for me, so I will probably go back at some point and give them another shot.

I’m not usually one for a buffet, especially asian/​chinese ones here in Austin… but I was hungry and needed a place to get my nom nom on.
Not too shabby.
I really don’t like the décor. It looks like the house of cheap asian liberace.
The selection was varied yet stayed true to form. A few dim sum offerings, fried rices and noodles, variety of veggies and proteins. All prepared in the most popular manners, while remaining somewhat authentic.
My favorite… congee!
Wait staff is friendly and attentive… even during lunch hour. And at $ 8/​person, its a pretty solid deal.

The $ 7.95 lunch buffet is amazing!
Because of Andrew S’s glowing review, a friend and I eagerly headed to Fortune for lunch. We were impressed. The restaurant and bathroom were extremely clean. The buffet line was also kept very clean as the staff conscientiously wiped down spills made by customers. Food levels were monitored closely and replenished as needed.
I was happy to see that the buffet had, in addition to some westernized Chinese items, a nice variety of dim sum and authentic Chinese dishes, things like chicken feet, dumplings, steamed pork buns, shiu mai, stir fried bok choy, eggplant in garlic sauce, tofu with broccoli, «red» pork chops and steamed fish with soy sauce.
And then there were the salt & pepper shrimp! These are incredibly delicious and deserve special mention: whole, head-​on shrimp in light batter, deep fried with salt, pepper and sliced jalapenos. Messy to eat but who cares because they are soooooo good. I could eat three whole platefuls. I did eat three whole platefuls. If we had had more time for lunch, I would have happily continued on.

I FINALLY came here for dim sum…
When it comes to dim sum, I can be a little bit picky since I grew up in Hong Kong… To me, all dim sum item’s gotta have the right taste, right texture, and served at the right temperature… There aren’t too many places in Austin that would get a nod from me… But I’ve gotta say, Fortune did not disappoint…
Most everything I had was great… The staples by which all dim sum places are judged, «har gow» (steamed shrimp dumplings) and «siu mai» (steamed pork dumplings) were spot on… The «law ba go» (daikon cakes) was one of my favorite things I had that day…
I wasn’t too fond of their xiao long bao (steamed soup dumplings), but to be fair, I’ve never had a xiao long bao that didn’t disappoint me in Austin. (FWIW, this one disappointed me the least…)
The other thing that irked me a little was that there didnt seem to be a lot of carts coming around when we were there. While it might be because we were there pretty «late» or maybe we were just really hungry and didn’t have the patience to wait for the carts to come around, we ended up ordering a lot of things from an order form. The staff worked diligently to fill our orders flagging down carts and sending our requests to the kitchen… For a dim sum restaurant, this is pretty unheard of in my books…
We ended up spending $ 15/​each (including tip) for our party of 9, which I thought was fair considering the amount of food that we had…
If you want to know if a dim sum restaurant is really good, you ask anyone with Cantonese parents if they’d bring their parents here for dim sum, then you’d know… =) And from what I experienced, I would have no problems bringing my parents here when they visit.

I had been looking forward to trying Fortune after drooling for weeks over their 16 page on-​line menu that was filled with traditional items. We strolled in on the Saturday after Christmas at about 2:30 expecting to just get a big mid-​day meal and take a bunch of stuff home.
We were surprised, however, that the dim sum carts were still out and the place almost empty (as it closes at 3:00.) So, although I wasn’t in a dim sum mood, we could not resist.
The dim sum was very good. Good selection, although a little on the Buc-​wei-​friendly side. Nicely made dumplings. Not nearly as greasy as T & S or the old Tien Hong’s. I got a plate of baby clams in black bean sauce that were to die for. I ate the whole plate. The only one I didn’t care for was the baked pork bow. Why are all the pork bows (Char siu bow) in Austin so damn dry? I really miss the big buns filled with good char siu and red sweet gravy that abound in Oakland and SF Chinatown. Sigh. Someday I am just going to make them myself, dammit. But this is first rate. I think if we had come earlier, we probably could have seen a bigger selection. Also — they weren’t very hot, but again, we came late in the day, so these had likely been traveling around the room for awhile.
We also ordered some food off the menu. The best was the seafood chow fun and the pea shoots The chow fun is not on the menu but they made it for us and it was wonderful — better than Din Ho’s. The noodles were perfect. Lots of good quality seafood. Fantastic. The pea shoots were perfect. Tender and sauteed with garlic exactly the way I like it. I was excited to find them here. They didn’t have steamed chicken with ham today, but the steamed chicken we got in its place was good, although the ginger sauce was a little different than the typical salty green ginger sauce typically served, but it was tasty. Walnut prawns were standard. I ordered some ribs, Hong Kong style hoping for some Cantonese meaty spareribs, but was disappointed with just the tiny riblets that are mostly gristle, covered in a thick batter (gross) and doused with sweet and sour.
The service was excellent. Our waiter was very helpful as were the cart servers.
All in all, we were pleased. The atmosphere of the banquet hall and the bunch of Chinese teenagers and young adults hanging out made us wistful for home (Oakland, and Oakland Chinatown). We have been in Austin for four years now and these experiences make us really homesick for our friends back home and my husband’s Chinese family. I just wish there were more home style traditional Chinese places in Austin and I especially wish for one in South Austin.
One downside, it is pricey here.

Summary: I returned for a second go within a week of my first try: it’s good, and you can get out for $ 12 – 14 having enjoyable dim sum for lunch. Service is variable and special orders for dim sum need to be made asap.
Try the «almond tea» on the dim sum menu. It’s a sort of almond milk in a soufflé dish with a baked crust on top. It’s a dessert you’ll need to order up front. I saw it at an adjoining table the first time I went, and a helpful waitress told me about it when asked, giving me that «order early» advice.
The service really is variable, though, and everything was much slower all around when I went back with some coworkers. The cart attendant was absent when we were seated, and I had to be a little pushy to get some dim sum from the unattended cart. Sure, people deserve smoke breaks (or whatever), but if dim sum is what the place is about, and there’s only one cart — should I really need to flag down a waitress, point to it, and ask if we can have some? Further go-​rounds seemed slow and sporadic, so load up on your first opportunity. Also, get the ball rolling on paying your bill asap: on my second trip it took forever to give them my money and get out.
The selection in the cart is limited, but the menu is interesting and extensive, so you’ll probably want to special-​order something that’s not already prepared and in the cart. Do this immediately, not midway through your meal, or you’ll be waiting a while. I recall having curry squid, spinach and vegetable things, shrimp wrappers, chicken feet, custard buns, bbq pork buns, fried taro dumplings, special meat dumplings of some kind, the pork rice balls in banana leaves, and yet another type of shrimp dumpling. All good except that taro; I ordered it knowing full well that it tastes like dirt with a hint of potato, just to confirm that this holds true in dim sum. (It does.)
The hostess seated some smarmy old white guys beside us, one of whom clumsily hit on her, but they seemed to know what they were doing when they ordered the fried rice. It was a really large dish and looked good, maybe worth the $ 5 – 6.
The chicken feet were much better than Tien Hong’s. Good flavor in the sauce, and actually hot — an essential quality in a stewed chicken foot, for me. Tien Hong’s were clammy and tasteless the time I tried them. Still, I could eat only two before the novelty wore off, so you might not want a whole dish to yourself.
I’m rating Fortune as A-​OK (3 stars) because I enjoyed both lunches, but service was slow and trying at times. I love the extensive menu, and am glad to be able to order from it; I just won’t come if I’m in a big hurry. It’s near my work, so I’ll probably eat here 2 – 3 times a month, and I fully expect to have better experiences now that I know how to approach it better.

Just noticed they now have a website, it has the menu and some great pictures, glad to see it, they did a good job of creating a great site.

I would consider myself an adventurous eater. Mainstream adventurous, but adventurous nontheless. Dim Sum puts my adventurousness to shame. This review will focus on the quality of our food/​service rather than on the fact that I am never doing dim sum again. Too many decisions, too many unidentifiable (even after identified) parts, and I ate something that tasted like bacon lard and then proceeded to almost hurl at the table.
The service was great (refilled my diet coke 4 times without giving me the eye), the dumplings were tightly packed and delicious and everything seemed really fresh. Definitely get the pork/​shrimp dumpling, the shrimp with walnuts, the shrimp wontons, the pineapple buns and the bbq buns. I wasnt a fan of said barfybaconlard pattie, the shrimp drumsticks, the fried shrimp (in full shell) or the boring chinese broccoli (its just broccoli). All this for $ 15 it’s totally affordable
If you’re a dim summer, go for it. Otherwise, if you’re only a pretender to the adventurous throne, like I am apparently, stick with the regular food which looks to be tasty and affordable.

With the limited selection throughout Austin I suppose this place isn’t half bad. Nothing really is outstanding or horrible that it calls me here or repulses me from afar.
The dim sum was good, the service was lackluster, and the name is unoriginal and sad. Overall a nice place to take your white friends.
Note: they didn’t have chili or vinegar on the tables, you have to ask for it specifically.