Lunasia Dim Sum House

Jonathan Jose Neo

Came back for a second time to try out more dishes! Came in the afternoon and had to queue for abit, better to come before the lunch crowd. Will definitely be back again. - Ee fu noodles were great, but still preferred the seafood chow mian and shrimp fried rice. -walnut shrimp (must try) - sautéed egg plant (savory and salty good with white rice or carb dishes) - french beans (must try) - siew mai (must try) (large and meaty, with shrimp chunks) - garlic pork ribs with green onions - steamed spare ribs - chicken feet - tofu claypot

John Sun

Found this recommendation on Reddit - have been searching for an authentic Dim Sum location and have had to get out of Irvine to find it! Food: Flavors are authentic, xiolongbao had the soup inside and pork flavors did not taste bloody at all, very 鮮. Both the shui mai and the prawn dumplings were unconventionally massive - enjoyers of these dumplings will have a great time - if you only find these to be so-so, perhaps the size will be off-putting. The skins in the pastry has added sugar I think - this helps bring out the fresh flavor of the pork and prawns. However in the Chinese donut, this means they are slightly sweet - which does change the flavors somewhat from the 'traditional' version. I did enjoy that you were able to order in quantities of 4,6, or 10 (I believe) for the steamed dumplings- a qr code and online ordering system is provided. Soy sauce is provided at the table alongside chili but you have the option to pay more for their house sauces on the side Things to consider: The turnip cake is made with diced turnip as opposed to sliced/grated turnip, which means it doesn't hold well together due to the moisture - the flavors are somewhat less intense than what I was expecting. The prawn 腸粉 skins were quite thick, and did not appear to be sweetened unlike the prawn dumplings. The food is very reasonably priced, service was quick and prompt. Tea was approx 5/pp - there is the option to just have water instead which is free. Dim sum was decently priced at approx 7$ for 4 dumplings - for 5 dishes we spent 60 USD (with tip) for two people (plus tea) Overall: in my opinion, this is a top location if you live in Irvine and are willing to drive 25-35 mins - we visited Saturday around 11:30am and there was only a 15 min wait. We will definitely come back as it is the best we've found so far! Perhaps more research is needed before crowning this place as the king in socal though~!

The Artist Nanz

Good place to eat with a big group of people. The food is very filling and tasty, and service is quick. The tea was good, but make sure not to leave your leaves brewing too long or they'll get bitter. My only complaints are that being seated right at the entrance is not fun. Especially when people are eyeballing the food that you have on your table. (Lol) A partition would have been great there. Also, no ability to split checks. Oh well.

Miguel C

Food Everything was great!!! Some of the food was a little salty for my taste (I only eat out on weekends, and I eat home cooked food during the week), but the food was still very tasty. This is probably the most I have enjoyed dim sum at Lunasia in the past 5-7 years. Dim sum was not always my favorite, but it has grown on me. Service The servers were very attentive with the water and tea refills, provided the small bowl and spoon for rice (easier to eat than chopsticks on a plate), sugar, & lemon slices as requested. The only thing I would recommend is when the server gives you the to-go boxes, to not just throw the to-go boxes/bags, don't just throw them on the table like you don't care. I just laughed it off, but I would recommend paying attention to those small details, as other people may not be as forgiving. Might just be a cultural thing. Atmosphere I really enjoyed the different versions of the acoustic (calm) style of music that was playing. Really gives you a sense of calm to enjoy your food. Very relaxing even with all the commotion from other parties. Overall I still feel that Sam Woo Cafe (1st) vs. Lunasia (very close 2nd) is on the top of my list (my preference), only because of their vietnemese coffee, but other than that, Lunasia and Sam Woo are pretty close on food quality. The prices might be the only factor that differentiates the two restaurants and customer service. Give both a try. I believe Lunasia can seat more people. The actual wait time was supposed to be 10-20 minutes, but it took less than that to be texted to be seated. Very impressed. Enjoy!!!

Ben Park

Very good. A bit pricey but the quality is worth it. The dim sum tasted great. The macao egg tarts were especially good as were the shrimp spinach dim sum. The macao crispy pork and bbq HK duck weren’t as good as the dim sum. I highly recommend. Edit: I would also skip the spicy dumplings. Not spicy at all. Also wouldn’t get the pineapple buns or the cucumbers. The seafood chow mein was very very salty.