Dolphin Bay

I don’t like to leave long reviews so I’ll say this: the chicken katsu and the green curry are among the best that I’ve ever tried and I’m from Asia. Will definitely be coming back here.

Finally got around to trying Dolphin Bay’s food, which was surprisingly underwhelming.
— Fried Squid Balls — Exactly as you’d expect. They are small squid balls you’d find in a bowl of noodles, but spiced, cut in half, and fried. A bit on the pricey side for what you get as you only get four whole squid balls for $ 3.75.
— Pork Rice — Very bland rice plate. The minced pork needs more seasoning, or a sauce. I only got this entrée since it seemed to be very popular, but it was easily my least favorite.
— Salt and Pepper Pork Rice — My favorite dish at Dolphin. The pork is nicely marinated and of a nice texture. There isn’t a lot of meat though.
— Beef Stew Noodle Soup (medium spiciness) — I thought this would be like Bun Bo Hue or Cantonese Beef Brisket Noodle Soup, but it wasn’t at all like either. The soup looks very spicy, but it doesn’t taste it. There was very little meat and bok choy in the bowl too.
— Spicy Wonton — Tasty steamed wonton with a lot of hot oil. The hot oil isn’t too spicy, but the wonton were very flavorful.
The rice plates came with lightly marinated cabbage (I don’t think it was kimchi), steamed veggies, and depending on your dish, another side. I was not fond of any of these fillers. I wish they just gave more rice and meat!
I wasn’t at all happy with the service here. Though very friendly, the waiters and waitresses made my friends and I feel very rushed. We kept having to ask for napkins, condiments, and extra bowls too, which detracted from the experience. They really need a napkin dispenser on the tables! They serve water in paper cups.meh. One of the bowls I got was dirty too, so I have a feeling Dolphin isn’t the most hygienic restaurant.

Taiwanese comfort food
Rice dishes and noodle soups come in big portions but personally I think they can be a lil on the bland side. The spicy wontons are really good though and the spicy popcorn chicken is nice and crispy. Tasty yes but both are not really spicy.
This place also has shaved ice, one gigantic bowl (2−3+ people) is 10 $ and comes with 4 toppings, great to share with others. Have it with hot tea in the winter months so you don’t become an icicle.
The server here is extremely friendly and sweet I think she can be like a replacement mom. And they have this cheesy dolphin décor and fish shaped plates… Prob good for kids.

Being raised on Taiwanese food, I’m picky with what I’m served. This place is pretty authentic. For its humble prices, I’d easily come here over and over. Ordered a fried rice that didn’t disappoint although I was slightly underwhelmed by the fried udon noodles.

Good portioned Taiwanese food and fabulous service! I got two rice dishes to go, and they were so delicious — popcorn chicken rice and sausage fried rice.
The staff were super nice and friendly.
The only thing I was disappointed with was the bubble tea. I ordered the jasmine milk tea half sugar with boba pearls. The tea was way too sweet and the pearls were kind of hard and tasteless. I will pass on the bubble tea and just stick with the food.

SO PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. I’m usually not. Huge fan of Chinese food/​Taiwanese food but wow… I WAS SO WRONG ABOUT MY PRE JUDGEMENTS!
Oh my goodness I don’t know where I wanna start!!! Wait– SMILING SERVERS!!! Thank you! :D
FOOD WAS CHEAP AND NICELY PORTIONED. What more could a broke girl ask for?!
Huge shaved ice. So much. Couldn’t breathe eating but it was soo good. It’s mostly water based!
Also, TARO. BUBBLE TEA. Oh my goodness I cannot even explain how this blew my mind. IT WAS REAL AUTHENTIC TARO and not just some purple slush mix most use!!! Wowowowow So impressed.

Like everyone else says the food is very good and the prices are reasonable. It’s great if you are in the area and want something simple and good, nothing too fancy; and want to feel nice and full at the end of your meal. The staff is super kind and attentive too, offering us water when we were waiting outside for a table.
Get the Watermelon Milk! It’s better than any bubble tea you’ve ever had.
I just have one request for the owners though: pink dolphins. :)

This restaurant comes as advertised here on Unilocal.The prices are very reasonable and the portions are very large. The food is very good, certainly a step above your standard college meal, and won’t break your bank. The restaurant itself is a bit odd, with the boat as the counter and dolphins and Palm trees on the walls, but it certainly makes it unique. The staff was friendly and they work hard serving a usually packed restaurant. I recommend going closer to 6 and you’ll miss the huge rush– which I’ve seen there usually is here around 7pm.
What really makes this place great though are their drinks. We had their tea and it was awesome. The cold drinks look great too. Definitely something to hit up in summer.

Overall: good for casual dining with close friends or family. Affordable and delicious food! Exceeded expectations. This was just what I needed. A casual dinner place with two best friends who don’t want to cook.
Restaurant is not too big, about 10 tables or so but we had seats without waiting. Décor for this place was very cool with the boat, wall paints, and atmosphere representing the Taiwan I suppose.
Food and price: portions are great for the price! We tried ⁴⁄₆ recommended/​favorites on the menu. I love that there are pictures to show you exactly what you’re ordering. You’ve got a good combination here: minced pork over rice, soup noodles, fried chicken you pick at with sticks, seaweed and eggs. This is my kind of comfort food!
Conveniently located in Allston which is reachable by T, or street parking (free on Sunday’s).

I’m not sure how Dolphin Bay’s name came about, but would’ve never guessed this was a Taiwanese eatery if it wasn’t for Unilocal.Located next to Shabu Zen, DB is full of nautical décor and the walls are (you guessed it) decorated with murals of dolphins. There is a huge boat. err counter area. where the staff makes the extensive list of bubble teas and shakes. We opted for the pudding milk tea (good) and the taro milk tea (exceptional, make sure to get the real stuff and not the cheaper powder version). The beverage menu is extensive, but the food menu is relatively short. The front page has photos of their popular dishes with includes the minced pork rice, spicy wontons, sausage rice, and beef noodle soup. We opted for:
— Spicy Wontons: Agree with Sophie here that these are more comparable to dumplings. The sauce was a fabulous blend of heat and tang.
— Minced Pork w/​Rice: Our least favorite of the night. As the name implies, bowl of rice topped with minced pork. Not much flavor, a bit dry, lukewarm at best, and wouldn’t have me yearning for more.
— Beef Noodle Soup: I found the broth de-​lic-​ious, but the beef pieces minimal and a bit chewy.
— Noodles w/​Jalapeño Gravy: We were going for the pan fried rice noodles, but I think we ended up with this instead. The dish of vermicelli noodles came sitting in a shallow pool of mustard colored sauce. I found the dish mediocre and was a bit thrown off by the appearance.
A bit of a toss up between DB and Jo Jo Taipei for Taiwanese eats. I’d say JJT for more of a selection, but DB if you’re sticking to the essentials. The two servers were courteous and provided good service.

Great service, delicious food, nice drinks!
I felt very welcomed here. The staff who were there said «你好» when I came in and «谢谢» when I got the bill and when I was leaving. They were very polite when asking about the food and the location of the restroom.
I tried the Taiwanese sausage rice and it was pretty filling with the vegetables on the side. I like how they had some garlic slices with the sausage; it added a nice pungent taste to the mouth. The fried chicken was good, not too dried and not too soggy.
This is definitely a go to place to have bubble tea and/​or to grab lunch or dinner. I would definitely come back again!

THIS IS TAIWAN! When you are out of home for years, this is what you’re looking for.
A place with relaxing dining environment and great food & drinks. What could you possibly as for more?
Must have: sweet potato fries, salt&pepper chicken (popcorn chicken) with spicy powder. For entrée, their fried rice are one of the best I have in the US. they also got Taiwanese boba tea and other selection as well! My boyfriend is in love with their Taro milk, and I would recommend Pudding Milk tea or honey aloe for those that are looking for Taiwanese-​tea-​vendor-​kind of drinks.
這裡太棒了！100%民宿感加上完美炸物和類50嵐的飲料。
必須推薦：（梅乾）薯 （小傷心他們沒有梅粉），鹽酥雞和紅油抄手和雞肉絲蛋炒飯（就像巷口的家常炒飯一樣好吃斃了！！！）我個人偏愛布丁奶茶和蜂蜜蘆薈（和大學附近飲料店一樣好喝喔）！
Can’t wait to come back!!!

The place is small, the décor is adorable, so beware it can get plenty packed during the day. The view of Brighton avenue is also a plus.
In terms of food, part of the issue was that I found some of the vegetables on my plate to be quite bland. The portion itself was significant, but I could not finish my plate. Secondly, I ordered one of the more popular Taiwanese sausage and rice and was not too fond of the taste. To someone who likes a sweetened sausage this might be the way to go if you’re ever here. My boyfriend got the spicy popcorn chicken and that was definitely better. I would probably pick that if you want to grab an appetizer and share with company.
Overall, I wish I would’ve liked the food as much as I liked the décor. The prices were fairly decent ($ 9-​$ 14) so maybe it’s worth giving it a try.

Super !!!
Super authentic Taiwanese food
Super service, very friendly and patient waiters
Super worthy price

I was craving some Taiwanese food so I came her with my friends. I ordered a beef noodle with jalapeño gravy and shared two popcorn chicken with my friends. The rice dishes and appetizers were good but my noodle dish was not good at all. I can cook better stir-​fry noodle than the one they served me! It tasted very bland, the beef had no flavor, and it didn’t look that appetizing. I had to dump sriracha sauce over it in order to make it more edible.
I tried my friend’s fried pork chop rice dish and I thought the pork chop was fried perfectly. The breeding was crunchy and the pork was moist and tender. The popcorn chicken was on point! It reminded me of LA. They were seasoned well. I liked the chili powder and sweet and sour sauce.
The server that served us was really nice. She was very polite. If you come here, stick with the rice dishes and popcorn chicken!

Dolphin Bay will transport you back to California, where their original locations are (Cerritos and Rowland Heights). We found out that our server had moved from Cerritos all the way to Boston! This is more of a bubble tea café than a restaurant, but they do offer enough to have a large meal for a group. The restaurant really makes you feel like you are out at sea on a boat. The décor is definitely very unique and well thought out.
IF YOU TAKE ONE THING FROM THIS REVIEW, PLEASE TRY THEIR TARO MILK TEA.
They make their taro milk tea from real taro, but it is not chunky. It is smooth, icy, and perfectly sweet. I’ve had it with boba ($ 5) and without boba ($ 4.50), and I definitely prefer it without boba because you can taste the taro better. If you’ve never had taro, it tastes like the last bite of a soft serve cone.
food
+ SPICY WONTONS: This is not your typical wonton. They are more like dumplings with a great chili sauce.
+ TAIWANESE SAUSAGE RICE: I love this sausage. I’m not sure what’s in it, but it is really good. It comes with rice, cabbage, steamed egg, and vegetables.
+ POPCORN CHICKEN: The chicken is not heavily breaded or overly salty. It has just the right amount of crunch for the amount of chicken given! You can order the popcorn chicken alone (more chicken), or with rice (less chicken).
~BEEF STEW NOODLE SOUP: Standard beef noodle soup.
~EGG/​TOFU/​SEAWEED APPETIZER: Dressed well and with chili sauce it this app was a good starter. I’m not sure if I would order this again.
The staff is really friendly and the food always comes out to our table within 5 minutes!

Dolphin Bay is a Taiwanese restaurant that offers traditional Taiwanese dishes, Bubble Tea and Shaved Ice. When you walk in, it feels like you just walked onto a docked cruise ship with a great view of swimming dolphins. It’s definitely a happy feeling. They even have seagulls sitting on the bar.
My brother and I got bubble teas — Royal Milk Tea with Mini Tapioca and Taro Milk Tea with Mini Tapioca. Both were creamy, but I didn’t like how the Taro one was pretty chalky /​powdery. It was probably my least favorite bubble tea place in Boston. I’d still like to try the shaved ice here!

Based on reviews I was super stoked to try the food — especially after a hella good dessert experience. In the future that’s all I think I’ll come back for — dessert.
ENTREES:
Veggie, pork and egg fried rice — heaping portions but lacking in much flavor and veggies. Definitely not worth $ 9. Bland and straightforward — could have used more flavorful oil or spices to deserve the price tag!
Spicy wontons — generous portions and good flavors. Beware, it’s pretty greasy (yes, Taiwanese food is greasy but this plate was very slick and the oil pooled).
Popcorn chicken rice dish — tasted delish in the restaurant. Comes with a random side of english type food — potatoes and corn in a sweet gravy chicken pot pie type of sauce. The side veggie pickled slaw was more sweet than tart (tasty), and the steamed cabbage could have been better — the edges of the cabbage were looking grey.
Ordered the popcorn chicken rice dish as takeout for my guy and it was a sad dish! Small nugs of batter more than chicken. The takeout was worth $ 4 – 5 and definitely not $ 9!
DESSERT:
On a separate occasion, ordered shaved ice piled with goodies. Get whatever you want on your shaved ice dessert (ask for a separate menu). Fixins galore — mango, taro, boba, tapioca, coconut, jellies! Great price and gargantuan portions — come after you’ve fasted or come with a bunch of friends to tackle that monster.
Friendly service, but lagged for dinner — we were one of 2 tables when we got there, and had to ask for water a couple times. Also took a very long time to order and ended up flagging down a different waitress for our bill when the restaurant got slammed. Overall, very friendly compared to service across the street at the militant competitor, Blue Asia Café. The dolphin theme… take a kid here for dinner, I’m sure they’d love it!
2.5 rounded up (that dessert is on point — delicious and totally a bang for your buck).

After all the positive reviews decided to give this place a try.
I got take out so maybe that’s why, but the food didn’t blow me away at all. I love Taiwanese food, as do my friend, born in Taiwan (who shared the take out with me). We have tried many different Taiwanese places over the years from jojo to Mulan to peach garden to actual Taiwan restaurants so we do know our food a bit.
The oyster pancake wasn’t as good as the JoJo one. While I liked that you could see it was a pancake with oyster layer in between, it was too doughy and there wasn’t a good savory sauce to go with it. Also, I bit into an oyster chunk that had some sort of hard shell on it.
We got the beef noodle with jalapeño. Thought it sounded good but was disappointed. The noodle wasn’t good and there’s no jalapeño taste. Actually, given jalapeño isn’t a Taiwanese staple, not sure why it’s on the menu.
The wonton was actually pretty decent. But if you are looking for authentic Sichuan flavored spicy wonton, this isn’t it. It’s an interesting twist I guess, but didn’t blow me away.
Lastly, got boiled veggie. It came with minced beef. A bit of a good surprise with the meat but otherwise disappointing. I’m quite surprised that they don’t offer an eggplant dish — as that’s a Taiwanese speciality!
Overall a disappointment. Maybe their drink/​dessert would be better. They did have quite an extensive tea menu.

Man it’s been a while since I’ve found some reasonably priced Taiwanese food that didn’t make me feel like it coated my belly in grease.
Service:
It’s a busy place even though it literally just opened up (since I pass by all the time when trying to burn my muffin top after a Super 88 feeding frenzy), but the folks are friendly and accomodating.
Ambience:
First thought: «wtf» but that’s only because I don’t get the Dolphin themed blueness, but hey it works.
Food:
Beef noodle soup — the broth was pretty flavorful, but not too spicy. Noodles were solid and the beef was soft, bonus points for tendon. At least they didn’t use some wack ingredients and call it beef noodle soup.
Taiwanese fried chicken — simple appetizer, no frills and decently made. Wasn’t too salty or oily and rivals my own homemade masterpiece.
Taiwanese sausage and rice — nostalgic for me, nothing special but some nice on the dish that included steamed egg and ground meat.
Oyster pancake — very subtle flavor and the oyster is not overpowering. This dish in other restaurants in the Boston area are greasy peasy. This one did it well.
The best part? I spent less than $ 30 bucks to stuff my face to the max. Well played Dolphin Bay, well played.