Yuan Xing Restaurant

If you find yourself in Vacaville, are REALLY craving dim sum, and don’t have a car to drive the 30 miles to Richmond (Asian Pearl), then Yuan Xing dim sum is serviceable. Not great, but also not bad considering the culinary wasteland that is Vacaville/​Fairfield.
Tucked into a really small strip mall fairly close to the highway, the restaurant is clean and standard (nothing fancy). The guests are primarily non-​Asian, so that’s a warning sign. But I press forward and order the standard dim sum fare: har gow, shrimp dumplings, onion pancake, turnip cake, steamed buns, salt-​pepper tofu, chicken feet,…
OK… so this is what I honestly think… most of the dim sum tastes like stuff that was purchased frozen and steamed. Stuff you can buy at Ranch 99 or Marina. That’s not to say it was bad, it’s more to describe the quality (very standard).
So for the stuff that I think that was NOT packaged and warmed up… this is my summary:
The chicken feet were okay… I am sure they were not frozen and reheated. The onion pancake came out lukewarm and not tasty (why not hot?) The salt-​pepper tofu was fried really well, but lacked salt and spice. turnip cake was not bad (but could’ve been prepackaged).
Service is good and swift… And at the end of the day, I didn’t have to go buy the frozen dimsum, cut open the package, steam the dim sum, serve it, and clean up… so as I said earlier… serviceable.

A solid dim sum place, although it’s a little pricey the items are pretty good quality.
The highlight here are the Taro puffs: a flaky, buttery exterior with soft, delicious taro paste inside.
They also have the shrimp wrapped in noodles, har gow, xiao long bao, siu mai, and all were tastey with not too thick skin. The meats were all well steamed. I also tried the Chinese broccoli (gailan) and egg tarts and they were also good. For not having carts, they still capture the authentic Cantonese flavors in the food.

I did my research and read the reviews before taking my family here for Christmas eve dinner. It has the stars and a lot of good reviews on the dim sum sprinkled with some severely negative reviews I usually take with a grain of salt and chalk up to «B****y». I must now apologize for the latter description. They were just being honest. I’m SOOO sorry and suffered through a holiday dinner that was the worst Chinese we have ever had.
Ever since our kitchen was out of commission the Christmas of 1997, we have a tradition of going out for Chinese. We started at Chow’s (now Chen’s) and moved on to Yen King when Chow’s changed ownership. WHY did we stray from Yen King… WHY???
We did enjoy the Pork Shu Mai but everything else… The waitress got our order wrong but we just took what we received because she seemed sweet. The potstickers were luke warm at best. The scallion pancakes were tough… had to pull to get a bite off and then there was a lot of chewing. The Sesame Beef was extremely tough and lacked any flavor at all, not even salt. Blahhhh! But it was the Orange Chicken (son and daughter’s favorite) that screwed the pooch. A good version has a slight crunch with a nice orange glaze. This had some doughy breading, no crunch, and an orange gelatinous flavorless goo that slithered off the pieces of chicken onto the plate. Dragging the chicken through the goo did not put the goo back on the chicken but resembled the appearance of Moses parting the sea.
We had a ton of food on the table and the waiter had the audacity to ask us if we wanted to go boxes. If we couldn’t eat it there, why on earth would we take it home? Did we look like we want «Goo to Go»?
Now someone is probably reading this thinking «What a B****!» Just know that my conscience is now clear and you dine at your own peril at Yuan Xing.

Good food but the location is kinda sketch. There’s no lights in the parking lot, and it’s not their fault, but someone freakin hit my car and didn’t leave a note.
Shitty Swine driver left a Huge dent in my back left fender and cracked the lens of the tail light.
If you’re going here, I recommend parking in the street or maybe just getting take out.

I’ve been looking for a great Chinese place in the area and this is by far the BEST Chinese restaurant I’ve been in since moving here in the U. S!

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. Haven’t had dim sum in a while and this definitely satisfied my craving. They had all the typical dim sum dishes and they were all good. The Shanghai dumplings weren’t spectacular, but they were good, a lot better than most places I’ve tried not named Din Tai Fung. The salt and pepper squid and beef chow fun were also great. Customer service was good and friendly. Overall 4, although the food and service were great, and I had a good experience, it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had so I can’t give it a 5. I’m trying not to throw 5s around unless the restaurant really stands out. I would definitely recommend this place, though.

Excellent dim sum, perfect spot for a new year’s eve meal. Went at 2pm today and the place was empty, food was very fresh and tasty. Try the taro puff, it was super delicious. Fast and friendly service, don’t hesitate!

Came here for dinner and this place is alright. I wouldn’t say they have the best chinese food, but it is alright. Service here was fine but there wasn’t anything in particular that was bad about this place.

Decent restaurant with good food. Looks like they serve dim sum but we ordered the main entrées. Had the following for dinner: steamed fish, beef & bitter melon, broccoli, General Tso’s chicken, chicken fried rice, salt & peppered squid, salt & peppered pork chops and pot stickers. The salt & peppered squid was very tender (probably the most tender I’ve had) and was fried perfectly. The chicken fried rice reminded me of the Chinese restaurants on the island — yum! There were only 2 severs on this Christmas evening and it was busy but the wait was worth every bite. I would definitely come back with my family.

I’ve eaten at a lot of Dim sum places from Sacramento to San Francisco and I must say, for a little town in Vacaville this restaurant will fix your dim sum cravings. The place is clean and there customer service is excellent. They have your traditional dim dums that they serve in every dim sum restaurant. Don’t be shy about trying out their other dishes because they are excellent as well. Almost everything I’ve ordered here from their dim sum to their crispy pan fried noodles are excellent. Their food is not greasy, not salty or spicy like most Chinese restaurants I’ve eaten at. Price is affordable, food is great and servings are full filling. A Hidden little gem in Vacaville.

I’m so happy I get to update my review and give 4 stars. My family and I had a great dim sum experience today.
We ordered:
Shumai
Hargow
Potstickers
Taro puff
Sesame balls
Pork buns
And chow mein
Everything was so delicious, but the dumplings were outstanding! They don’t fall apart when you bite into them like the ones from 99Ranch.
The restaurant was not busy and we were served right away. Great dim sum spot!

Had a great first experience. Went in for dinner around 6pm and the place was empty. The restaurant is located in a really ugly shopping center. It kinda turned me off but can’t judge a book by its cover blah blah. My boyfriend and I were excited because they served dim sum all day. We only ordered dim sum, so this review is based solely on the dim sum.
We got the usuals shrimp dumplings, pork shu mai, spare ribs, chicken feet (I didn’t eat this but my bf said it was great) some other pork dumpling and rice bowls. The dim sum is $ 3.50 each. Not bad but not the cheapest. The bigger plates like chicken wings and rice noodles are $ 5.50. Everything else was decently priced like the entrees and noodle plates like $ 7-​$ 12 ish.
The dim sum was great. They made it fresh so it was nice and hot when it was served. The spare ribs were flavorful. I’ve been to places where the spare ribs taste bland but this was good. The service was awesome as well. As time went by, more people started coming and our waitress was still very attentive with refilling water and grabbing the empty dim sum containers. Overall a great experience and a nice find.

Customer service was pretty good, they checked on us a couple of times to see if we were okay.
Food on the other hand is not as good Customer service. We spent $ 36 on dim sum that tasted the same as the dim sum at county market. We ordered house fried rice, we got shrimp fried rice. To sum everything up this is the 1^st and maybe the last time we would eat here. I could have gotten better Chinese food at wah shane for the same price.

All the reviews are obviously from people that haven’t had actual DimSum or real good Chinese food!!!
Slow service Overly Salted.
Family style plates not enough for 2 people let alone 5… the pictures make it look good but far from it.
Sorry was very disappointed

I’m usually a leg and thigh kinda guy but on occasion, I do have a fetish for feet… ‘And only if it’s from a chicken. (Just kidding, pig’s too!)
When I think of dim sum, the last thing I think of is Vacaville… Well, that WAS until I stopped by Yuan Xing for a late lunch. Unlike most traditional dim sum restaurants who offer up the items on small push carts that caravan from table to table and only at specific hours and/​or days, Yuan Xing serves dim sum on a made to order basis. (Did I mention, all day long, every day… ‘Damn sum!“
I’ve had Yuan Xing bookmarked for a few months. I don’t make it down to this part of town too often but that may soon change after today’s visit.
The restaurant sits in a small, very unassuming lot/​strip mall, and so happens to be right next door to Tokyo Grill which also has a pretty good overall Unilocal*rating… ‘Bookmarked!
Photo —
‘Walked in, not very crowded… ‘Perfect.
I was promptly greeted by Jacky, I chose a seat that gave me a good overall view of the restaurant. First impression, clean, spacious, and simple décor. The shop reminded me of the many Chinese restaurants one can find peppered throughout San Francisco.
I browsed over the menu for a few minutes, I was highly tempted to try one of their lunch specials BUT I fought off my ADHD tendencies, and stayed focused just long enough to order from the dim sum. True story. (Any one of my friends will tell you that my attention spa…)
Apologies, «Captain America: The Winter Soldier» is playing on HBO and I was momentarily distracted as I was flipping between two other programs, «King of Queens,» and a soft porn flick on Showtime.
Okay, back to lunch!
My order —
Shrimp Dumplings ($ 3.50): Good; tasty; fair portions
Chicken Feet ($ 3.50): Good; tasty; fair portions
Stuffed Eggplant w/​Shrimp Paste ($ 3.50): Good; tasty; fair portions
Fried Shrimp Balls ($ 3.50): Good; tasty; fair portions
Photo —
The food, very good, not the best dim sum I’ve had but for being the only game in town, no complaints. The price point for Yuan Xing’s, dim sum dishes are on par with most shops you’d find in San Francisco, LA, and Orange County. I was impressed with the oval quality of the dim sum too. Everything looked and tasted fresh. It took about 20 minutes for my order to make it to the table but just like Jerry states in Toy Story 2, «You can’t rush art!»
Jacky was very friendly, professional and helpful. After receiving my order, I inquired if they had Chinese chili oil and hot mustard. I half expected to get the usual default answer that I’ve become accustomed to, «Sorry, we only have ‘Rooster Sauce’ and Tabasco.» I can’t tell you how happy I was when Jacky said, «Yes, we do.» I was even more happy when I saw that it was the real deal and not those generic, prepackaged packets that looks like they came from a little league snack bar. (Two huge thumbs up!)
Photo —
I recently went to a local Chinese buffet that ONLY had Rooster Sauce and Tapatio @ the table… ‘And also offered the previously mentioned prepackaged, Heinz, mustard looking crap. Imagine a Chinese knock-​off of a Chinese restaurant owned/​operated by Chinese. It was like cannibalism, fake Chinese food make by Chinese people… Instead of Fendi, Polo, or Gucci, it was pork fried rice. As the old Chinese proverb by Shakespeare goes, «It stinks when there’s no honor among thieves.» (‘And that goes double for the food.)
King’s Buffet —
It’s always a very good sign when a Chinese restaurant has authentic chili oil and hot mustard available… The next time you go to a Chinese restaurant, ask if they have chili oil and/​or hot mustard. (Even if you don’t plan on eating it.) Chances are IF they do, the food is going to be a lot better than a restaurant that doesn’t… ‘And if you’re @ a Chinese restaurant that has none of the previously mentioned sauces BUT has Mexican hot sauce, ranch dressing, and BBQ sauce readily averrable, you may want to reconsider.
My apologies again, I digress. (Again.)
If the rest of Yuan Xing’s menu is anything like the dim sum I tried, I may have found my new favorite Chinese spot in Vacaville. ‘With over 100 reviews and a 4 ½ Star rating, the Unilocal*er have spoken.
— Big Aloha!
Food: 4
Ambiance: 3
Service: 5
Value: 4+

NOT the purported 4.5 stars at all… maybe just for this area though. We were driving through and were lured in by the thought of dim sum for dinner. All the items were $ 3.50, which isn’t exactly cheap when each dish usually comes with three pieces.
BBQ Pork Rice Roll: The skin was way too thick, so it tasted pretty gross.
Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings: This one was actually good! Served so hot that I felt like the oil was burning my fingers though
Lotus Leaf Wrap: Okay, but the leaf was torn when it was served. Not good form.
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce: pretty standard. really hard to mess this one up.
Egg Custard Tart: The tart crust looked pretty flakey in the photos, so I had high hopes. In reality it was sort of flakey, but just wasn’t up to the standard I was hoping for. Turned out that the crust wasn’t really browned enough, and it tasted undercooked. The bottom of the tart dough was still doughy (definitely undercooked).
Tea: $ 1 per person. Really?!
Btw, we probably ordered too much for two people. Coulda gone without one of the dishes. Three dim sum with a dessert would’ve been perfect.

After a very long day, my GF stated that she wanted Chinese food, and this was one of those very rare occasions in which I responded with «Yeah, I want Chinese food too.»
Thanks to our friends at Unilocal,we found Yuan Xing, and after seeing such a high rating, we decided that this was our place. The restaurant is located on a very small street corner with at least one other restaurant, and the parking can be quite tight. The interior of the restaurant is very open and resembles a giant dining room more than nice restaurant. Beautiful art hangs across all four walls, making it feel more welcome. There is an L shaped buffet counter in one corner of the room, so safe assumption: they do a lunch buffet.
Our server was very friendly and it’s a shame I didn’t get his name name because I would love to give him a personal shout out. Back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, working hard to serve every table as fast as possible. More customers kept showing up, and like clockwork he had them seated and served.
We started with the pot stickers. One thing I love about this place is they brought an even number of the pot stickers, making it six instead of five like we are used to. That being said, the pot stickers were sadly the lowest part of the meal. The filling was good but the dough was too under cooked.
I ordered the szechuan chicken which was immediately taken back by our waiter because the cook forgot to make it spicy. Awkward to say the least, but I did manage to scoop a little bit onto my plate before it was rushed off and the chicken I did try was pretty freaking amazing. The plate was brought back to us about a minute later, properly prepared. The chicken tastes just as amazing as before, and now with the wanted heat to it. The vegetables in the dish were fresh as can be. You can feel the crunch of freshness as you bite into each piece of carrot and celery.
GF ordered the beef chow fun. The beef was delicious and I am a huge fan of bean sprouts, and there were plenty of those but I was not a fan of the wide noodles. They weren’t bad tasting at all, actually tasted quite nice but the thickness felt odd as I tried to chew them.
Good tasting food and great service for a seriously incredible price. The appetizer, two entrees and two bowls of steamed rice for under $ 30. That my friends, is a deal.

I just ate here today. The BF and I couldn’t figure out what we wanted to eat for brunch, and we’ve been eyeballing this place, so here we are. The parking for this location isn’t spacious or anything but considering it’s vacaville and not oakland or whatever, it shouldn’t be hard to find parking. We came in and it wasn’t busy, probably 3 other tables in use. The waiter/​server greeted us, was super friendly and attentive.
We ordered the basics and I was bummed that they didn’t have any steam rice rolls (boo), but we’ll live. I honestly under estimated this place. Why? Because it’s in vacaville which is a non populated asian place and I had a mind set that it’ll taste americanized, boy was I wrong. I am truly glad that I was proven wrong because now I at least have a place close to home to go to when I want some basic dim sum. Everything was nice and hot (temperature) and though it’s an asian restaurant don’t expect the asian service to go along with (which means crap service). Prices are fair and reasonable.
Also we asked/​told about the special: shrimp puff pastry or taro puff pastry. I love taro and I wasn’t disappointed, it was pure heaven in my mouth!

Great food and excellent service! We ordered the Hot and Sour soup, BBQ pork bun, pork and shumai, steamed spareribs, soy sauce chow mein and house fried rice.
I look forward to coming back!

Remember that time you can came home from a trip and you were dying to eat your favorite food because where ever you had come back from didn’t have any? Well if craving Dim Sum that bad and you don’t want to drive to Sacramento than come here for Dim Sum.
I was excited to find a a dim sum house in Vacaville it was pretty easy to find in a old strip mall on Merchant Street. The place is medium sized and must have been a buffet in a previous life as the buffet equipment is still present. The place is family owned and run and although the location was pretty old it was still clean. The ventilation was lacking and I can see this place getting hot very quickly.
I ordered the following items:
Broccoli Beef Lunch Special: served with white rice and hot and sour soup. The broccoli beef was tasty and fresh with a little bit of tang not normally found in this Chinese food staple. The hot n sour soup was not good at all. There was way to much corn starch making the soup more like a sour gravy. $ 7.50
From the Dim Sum Menu:
Shrimp Har Gow: The dumpling wrappers were to thick but at least that means they were home made and not bought frozen. The filling were made up of small shrimp and pieces of shrimp. I prefer Har Gow made the traditional way where the shrimp is diced and blended into a mix with seasoning and other ingredients. Order of four dumplings $ 3.50
Pork and Shrimp Su Mei: the pork in these dumplings was not ground up enough giving bites of large fatty pieces of pork. The dumplings also lacked seasoning. Order of four dumplings $ 3.50
Given it was a Tuesday maybe this place has better dim sum on the weekend. The regular food was fair but really nothing special. Coming from a person who eats a LOT of Dim Sum this place is not 4.5 stars but it will do in a pinch.