I’m putting together an outing for coworkers to have dim sum some weekend soon, as long as the pandemic allows. Normally I would have this set up at King Hua or Longo, however there is a request to have it at someplace with carts, since one of my coworkers loves the art of the chase.
We’re looking to have as many as 20 people come with us so it might be helpful if we can make some sort of reservation. Bonus points if their 咸水角is well filled and crispy.
Thanks!
NBC seafood and five star both have carts. They are solid but definitely not up to the levels of menu dim sum places that are referenced on this board.
Capital Seafood in MPK does carts, and has private rooms, and is solid.
FWIW, king hua (which was a personal favorite) has shuttered and is going to be replaced by jiang hu bistro. i would have suggested ocean star but it too has shuttered. before the pandemic, 888 seafood would have been my alternate choice for cart driven dim sum, as they have seasonal specials. while they have reopened, i can not vouch for the post pandemic level of quality.
i’ve viewed dim sum as having originated as a social event vs. being a culinary event and it’s either evolved or devolved the way tapas has. while the quality of menu driven dim sum is clearly superior, the bustle i associate with a cart dim sum atmosphere includes and/or reflects all the gossiping going on at every table and sometimes i miss that.
Hoping to give our daughter her first Dim Sum experience since one of her favorite bed time books is “Dim Sum for Everyone”. Are there any cart-based Dim Sum restaurants still operating in Orange County? I heard that Capital Seafood at the Irvine Spectrum switched away from carts.
VN dim sum joints in little Saigon still do carts, eg seafood world, seafood cove
Thanks! Do any serve all day dim sum?
I am not aware of any place (not Lunasia) that serves dim sum all day…let alone carts that do it all day.
Dim sum is brunch/breakfast.
Theae days some places do have dim sum items on their dinner menus, but not carts.
Nope. Imo all day cart dim sum is not a viable business model.
Tim Ho Wan in Irvine is one of the few places that does all day dim sum, but it is an order-off-the-menu place. No roaming carts. I’ve been to both the Irvine and Las Vegas sites and enjoyed both completely.
My preferred list of Orange County dim sum places has become rather short, with Tim Ho Wan and Capital Seafood making the list. I did like my one visit to J. Zhou in Tustin, but have read horror stories there recently. My only other preferred nearby place is Lunasia in Cerritos, which is part of LA and not OC. All of my preferred places are order-off-the-menu, so no roaming carts among my favorite places.
China Garden in Irvine used to be a favorite of mine with roaming carts, but family members who’ve gone recently said they were disappointed. I still see good reviews online recently, so maybe it’s best to try during a somewhat busy period when the food is freshly made with crowds that result in high turnover of the food. Don’t go on a weekday with slow crowds where the food may sit in the carts for longer periods of time.
Seafood Paradise in Westminster has roaming carts and still seems to draw crowds, but I was disappointed in my last few visits.
If you’re set on a roaming cart dim sum place in OC, China Garden and Seafood Paradise would be my two suggestions.
I’m reviving this thread as I’m craving Dim Sum. I didn’t have any in Vietnam. 
What are the good places these days?
I’m down in Orange County.
Not sure if this is a hot take, but here goes…
Cart style dim sum is fast becoming an anachronism. Yes, I see the nostalgia factor, but ordering the food from a menu results in a lot better product from the kitchen. It is the direction most mainstream and high end dim sum places are going towards (in HK, Canada, and the US), and I think it makes more sense.
Yes. Even Golden Dragon in Los Angeles Chinatown, as old school as you can get, has dropped the carts.
Did annyone else have to walk across the dining room to chase down a cart for a specific item?
You don’t get your Asian card unless you’ve done that lol. Even better is to ask the Captain to order a special dim sum item (not available on the carts) from the kitchen for you.
Actually I went back to Golden Eagle not too long ago as part of a group. Ordering direct from their menu resulted in the best experience I’ve ever had there.
I still to get a new free calendar lol
I think our family usually asked for a table near the kitchen entrance/exit. 
I used to go fairly often to cart dim sum with my very tall 6’5 white friend. He lived in Hong Kong for a year. He speaks a little Chinese but fluent in dim sum.
Chinese 3/10
Dim sum 9/10
He would take the paper and walk to the entrance where the carts would come out of looking for specific items. You’ve never seen so many shocked (or scared) little old women in your life.
I think cart dim sum has gone the way of the flip phone. Nostalgic to many but it’s no smart phone.