Yum Cha Cafe

Not bad for what it is, cheap dim sum buffet style. The items are not steaming hot, but pre made and fast service. Place could use some tidying up tho.

Usually stop by for take out. Reasonably priced take out Dim Sum. All the usual suspects here Sui Mai, ha gow, spare ribs, taro cake, no Mai go, bean curd wrapped., beef/​shrimp/​BBQ pork rolled fun, fried tofu and slew of other goodies.
Free tea if eating in. No table service.
Free Validated parking if over $ 10. A little hard for 2 people eating here. That’s why take out for a group works out OR add Spare Rib rice lunch box for $ 4,50 or chow mein /​Chow fun would fit the bill.

We got for lunch
1. Sticky Rice w Chicken
2. Beef Rice Noodle
3. Chicken Dumpling Soup
4. Turnip Cake
5. Chicken buns
Total came out to be about $ 10 more or less — so cheap! That’s insane! It’s seriously the cheapest and the best tasting Chinese food in Chinatown.
I love their soy sauce by the way.
It’s a bit lighter and vinegary. I don’t know what they put in it but it’s good.

Oh, wow! I literally just saw a cockroach crawl below across the counter floor, while three of the employees scurried to kill it and the patrons just kept eating like it was normal.

I’d rather DUMPSTER DIVE and devour roadkill any day than eat here.
Grimy is an understatement. ZERO Dumplings, zero anything fresh. A sad deserted café. What remained were a few buns and fried crap which looked as though they were reheated from the previous week. Ended up getting some egg rolls cause I felt bad for walking in and leaving empty handed. We all know I like my chili. I put that shit on errythang. B*tch proceeds to tell me «No, No Hot Sauce». What kinda Chinese joint are you? B*tch, I said GIMME MY HOT CHILI OIL! I turn around and see jars of it sitting on their tables. Should’ve gone Jackson Pollock on their ass with the chili oil. Splat, splat, muthafuka. As for their egg rolls, literally filled with a few strands of cabbage. EMPTY, just like their heads. Service was very ‘authentic’, meaning RUDE as F*CK.
Do yourself a favor and head to Won Kok instead.

If your looking for a cheap place to grab dim sum then this is your place. The interior isn’t that appealing. It your typical look like your typical Chinese to go place. Problem about this place is where does the line start! I experience many times seniors cutting me and start ordering. Another problem about this place you need to know a bit of Chinese. For me since i don’t know any Chinese it’s really hard to communicate with the worker so i end up just pointing to what I want. Also you do pay for what you get remember that. The shrimp dumpling are really small compare to the one you get if your at a sit in dim sum restaurant but they will do. One thing that stands out to me was their egg tart. Luckily I came here when they brought out a fresh batch of egg tart. It was delicious. If you decide to come here you got to try the egg tart.

Dim Sum is one of those things that is pretty much the same a lot of places you go. The quality doesn’t scale too much and if it does, it’s not too noticeable. This is one of those places where you notice the difference in quality, but it doesn’t bother you so much. Reason for it is because you already expect it.
This is not your sit down restaurant with the trollies strolling by. It’s a small café where you order at the counter, pay and take your food with you. It’s definitely not romantic or cozy, but for 5 dim sum items under $ 10, you’ll live another day graciously. Dim sum dessert items here definitely hold better than dumplings. I really did enjoy the egg tarts!
There was quite a bit of traffic in this place, mainly take-​out orders and desserts. Many of the sit-​down patrons are old folk looking for a cheap, quick snack.

I suppose it was okay…
But i didnt really like it. im sorry :-(
Some of the dumplings were dry and the staff is not very friendly…
It kind of killed my dim sum cravings… but the Sweet rice cake was good.

I highly recommend not going. I like the OC and SD location but this location kind of sucks. In the heart of Chinatown, you would think the food would be decent but it’s not. It’s somewhat cheap per item but it takes a couple of items to get full and you’ll end up paying more than if you go to a restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal here. Very regretful.

Always fulfills my dim sum cravings and it’s SOOO cheap!
I always get the congee here w/​pork or preserved eggs and all the usual plates (har gow, siu mai, shrimp rice noodle, tea, and egg tart for dessert!) :)
great for a quick, cheap breakfast or lunch. happy eating xo

I was looking for breakfast dim sum in Chinatown and this café came up in the Unilocal search results. They open early at 7 or 7:30am. This place is cash only.
I saw some pictures and reviews and could not believe they have shu mai and har gow for only 99 cents. When I walked in, I soon realized that I was wrong. They are no longer 99 cents. They increased the prices to now $ 1.49 plus tax.
What is confusing is that they have multiple labels for everything. I was looking at the menu and it says $ 1.29 per har gow dish. Then on the glass window, it says $ 1.49 per har gow dish. Of course, it came out $ 1.49 plus additional tax.
The har gow was only okay. Not the best. The house special bun (one big bun for $ 1.49 plus tax) was REALLY good. I really liked it. It was yummy and tasty. Because it was cash only, I could only try so many items.
This place is cheap and popular. Although it is difficult to see what they actually offer because all the steamed dishes are covered and the labels are extremely confusing. There is no trash can at the restaurant so I had no place to throw away plastic utensils after eating here.

+ free validated parking (w/​$ 10 purchase). Sign posted on the side entrance door. Small parking lot just north of Yum Cha Café. Thank you for the tip Unilocal.
+ $ 10.92 spent on: 2 item combo w/​free soup ($ 3.49); 8 sui mai; 4 har gow; 3 sesame balls; 1 house special bun (A items $ 1.19 & B items $ 1.49)
— The food at 1:30 pm looked old.
— Sui mai & har gow tasted bland, flavorless.
— HS bun (huge gai bao w/​egg & sausage) was cold and the bun inside was mushy (yuck, but I was starving so I ate it, lol).
+ Sesame balls surprisingly decent.
— Sold out of egg custard tarts (booo!)
— Tables were dirty/​not wiped down
Although it has an «A» grade, not sure if I will be coming back anytime soon. I’d rather pay a couple bucks for meter parking and go else where for togo.

A review for the Yum Cha chain in Chinatown ONLY! Please note that the one in Monterey Park is MUCH better.
One of the worst dim sum experiences I’ve had in a while. The only redeeming quality is that the baked BBQ pork buns are still delicious. I didn’t order too many things this last time I visited, but that’s because nothing really looks that appetizing…
Good:
— Baked BBQ pork buns: The dough on the baked buns is really, really good. It’s also really cheap, so that’s always a bonus.
Not so good:
— Big white bun: Not sure what the name is in English but it’s literally the big, white steamed bun that has a meat filling. I’ve had much better. The filling is flavorless and the dough becomes soggy on the inside.
— Cleanliness: I know it’s Chinatown, but this is still really really gross. It definitely doesn’t help the food look any better.

Order the donut roll and chicken congee.
The chicken congee soup is terrible, too much rice, not cook properly. the meat (chicken) was delicious it does cost more than usual congee since the chicken is the same one you brought from their hainan chicken i believe.

Ok ok… not the best dim sum, but… super cheap and open before I head to work at 7am? Sure why not! Parking on street free before 7am as long as those buses going to the casinos don’t take all of them.
Fried rice, har gow, shumai, and shrimp rice noodle for $ 5.
Need I say more?

Super cheap and decent Dim Sum.
It’s a to go place… you order from a counter and pick your food thru the clear glass. NO LADIES PUSHING CARTS. There’s tables for eat in patrons.
Very casual. I can’t say dim sum has ever been fine dining so if you’re looking for authentic chinese cheap eats go here!
I like this spot because its super quick, cheap and yummy. Co-​worker and I work in Downtown by Staples Center and it took us less than 5 mins to get here by car and freeway.
I definately would come back. Bowls of Wonton soup with noodle for less than $ 5! $ 1.25 for 4 pieces of shrimp har gow.
Enough food for 2 came out to $ 10! And we were full. We’ll definately be back.

You know the shadier a business looks inside and out, the better the food is, and this is a perfect example. You walk in and see old Chinese guys playing cards on worn down tables. The counters look like they’ve been around for decades, and barely any of the food is actually displayed in front of you. As I entered, I knew this was going to be an awesome experience.
Between 4 people, we ordered 13 dim sum dishes, including shrimp har gow, tripe, siu ma, fish cake, lotus leaf sticky rice and cha siu cherng fun. All of this came out to a measly $ 18. Yep, a feast fit for king that wouldve cost you over $ 50 at a regular sit-​down dim sum place came out to under $ 20.
As I indulged in the dishes, I realized how much I’ve missed dim sum. It’s been over a year since my last time, and this place revived everything that I love about it. The delicious chewy shrimp har gow was prepared perfectly. Their cha siu chern fun was some of the best I’ve ever had. Siu ma in huge proportions and full of flavor.
Yum Cha made my mouth and wallet very happy that day, and it definitely tops my list for my favorite dim sum places ever. It’s always the hole in the walls that a typical American would never step foot into that turn out to be the most delectable.

I am not digging this new «fancy» dim sum fad. If you are paying over $ 3 for a plate of dim sum, someone is screwing you over.
This place has the same quality dim sum for .99 or 1.29. You can fill 3 people up with about $ 10.
They also have noodle and porridge dishes and they both look pretty good.
It was great. But here’s the thing, this is not a first date place, not a second date place. This is a place where you take your significant other when you have already locked it down.
The place is very dirty, tables cleared off with a quick swipe of a wet rag. There was a dude just sitting in there tweaking out and asking people for money.
Nothing looks too sanitary.
But hey, screw all that. If you want fancy, I’ll meet you at restaurant row or something. If you want some good, cheap, authentic dim sum, I’ll meet you at Yum Cha Café.

$ 1 per order of 3 bbq pork bun (cha tsui bao)
$ 1 per order of 3 steamed egg custard bun (nai wong bao)
$ 1 per order of 3 steamed rice cake (bak tong goh)
Excuse my phonetic translations. I know it’s not right, but it’s the easiest way to write it!
Anyways, I came early (around 10am) and it was already pretty busy. Since it was early, parking wasn’t too bad.
The food is pretty cheap. Some things are cheaper elsewhere. For example pineapple buns are $¼ pieces in Oakland Chinatown. Here it would have been $ ¹⁄₃ pieces. Not much of a difference though, so I didn’t mind. $ 3.70 for all this food? A great deal! it’ll last me a couple of days =)
The egg custard wasn’t that great. The bread part was okay, but not the custard. It was too dry. The bbq pork buns were average in size, but very fluffy. A little too fluffy that the bread stuck to my teeth. It tasted good though. The rice cake was good and spongy!
I would definitely come back here next time I’m in the area just to get my fix of dim sum. I miss goign to dim sum!

If I were to ever create a list of bargain bites, the Yum Cha Café (
) would be on the very top of the list. The restaurant is located just steps from the Gateway at L.A. Chinatown on North Broadway. As I walked past the first window and took a look inside I knew this was a popular place because it was packed inside. I stopped in my tracks to do a search on Unilocal Mobile and found 7 reviews and a four star rating. I had to try this place.
My eyes lit up when I saw all of the different dim sum items behind a protective glass shield. There are bright yellow/​green signs everywhere with nice photos of just some of the many dim sum items available (see photos). I looked to see what other patrons were eating, and I spotted the big bowls of noodle soup and big bowls of congee. I looked up at one of the signs and found what I was looking for. Wonton noodle soup for $ 2.99! That’s an unbelievable price for the large portions I saw others enjoying. I had to try it for myself. I ordered the soup and an order of Shrimp Har Gows. The har gows were only 99 cents for four pieces! Try finding that in San Francisco!
They have big tables that seat six and other tables that seat two or four. All of the little tables were occupied, and I didn’t mind sitting with strangers in a big communal table. They spoke to me in Mandarin. I only speak Cantonese. I smiled and nodded like a good tourist would.
The shrimp har gows (
) were pre-​made and are ready to go when you pay the cashier. The noodle soup is made to order. You are issued a slip of paper with a number on it, and your number gets called when the soup is ready. There is serve-​yourself hot tea at no additional cost. Other beverages like fresh warm soy milk and canned sodas are also for sale. The har gows had a thin, translucent skin that was soft and chewy. The filling was predominantly firm shrimp meat with very little fillers and just a bit of MSG. For the price, I don’t mind having my tongue tingle with the MSG side effects. The har gows were very good.
The server found me without even announcing my number. The wonton noodle soup (
) looked fantastic. Eight plump wontons sat on top of a mountain of noodles with spears of tender Chinese broccoli and chopped green onions in a clear golden broth. The wontons were very similar to the har gows with lots of firm shrimp meat and just a little ground pork to hold everything together within the thin wonton skin. There had to be over a half pound of the thin, chewy noodles in the bowl. Man, I was stuffed. The broth was a bit on the salty side. No problem though; I couldn’t have fit it anywhere anyway.
The restaurant also has Chinese barbecue and rice plates available at an adjacent counter. I saw one lady with the roast duck over rice, and I swear there must have been half a duck on her plate for just $ 3.99! I heard the cashier lady speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and English very well. The employees are very quick to clear off and wipe down the tables as soon as someone leaves. As busy as this restaurant was the workers kept it looking very clean. The restaurant proudly has a health score of «A» displayed on a window. If you are putting in a big order make sure to ask one of the workers for a dim sum checklist that lists everything available with prices and a box where you can fill in the quantities that you are ordering.
As often as I’m in Los Angeles you can bet that I’ll return here again and again to try more bargain bites from their menu. 4.5 stars!