Dim sum near me
Quick answer
Dim sum and dumpling restaurants near you, sorted by distance, with Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings.
What dim sum is
Dim sum is the Cantonese tradition of small steamed, baked and fried dishes eaten with tea, usually from late morning to mid-afternoon. Classics include har gow (prawn dumplings), siu mai (pork and prawn dumplings), char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) and custard tarts.
What this list shows
These are Chinese restaurants with dim sum, dumpling or yum cha in their registered name. Plenty of other Cantonese restaurants serve dim sum at lunchtime without saying so in their name, particularly in the Chinatowns of London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle, so check the menus of Chinese restaurants near you as well.
How to order
Order a few dishes at a time and add more as you go; dim sum is best straight from the steamer. Two or three dishes per person is a good start. Many restaurants only serve dim sum until mid or late afternoon, so check times before you go.
Hygiene ratings
Each listing shows the Food Standards Agency rating for the premises. Dim sum involves raw seafood and pork prepared by hand, so a high rating is reassuring.
Find them near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find results near you.
Where to find them
UK councils with the most matches in our directory.
Related dishes
Dim sum is the Cantonese tradition of small steamed and fried dishes eaten with tea, usually at lunch: dumplings, buns, rolls and more, ordered a few at a time and shared. The phrase means 'touch the heart'. It is a meal and a ritual, and the UK's Chinatowns and a growing number of dim sum restaurants do it seriously. It is the best way to eat Cantonese food.
DumplingsChinese dumplings, jiaozi, are parcels of thin dough around a pork-and-cabbage or other filling, boiled, steamed or pan-fried as potstickers. A northern staple eaten by the dozen, especially at new year, they are distinct from the delicate Cantonese dim sum dumplings. In the UK, dumpling bars and northern restaurants serve them fresh, and they are among the best-value things to order.
Char SiuChar siu is Cantonese barbecue pork: strips of pork marinated in a sweet-savoury sauce and roasted until the edges caramelise and char. Glossy red and honey-glazed, it hangs in the windows of Cantonese roast-meat shops and tops rice, noodles and buns. It is one of the great Cantonese things and a good test of a siu mei (roast meat) kitchen.
Wonton SoupWonton soup is a clear broth with silky pork-and-prawn dumplings, one of the comforts of Cantonese cooking. The wontons are small, thin-skinned and delicate, floating in a light stock with maybe some greens. It is a starter or, with noodles added (wonton noodle soup), a full meal. A good bowl depends on the broth and the freshness of the filling.