China Pearl Restaurant

(617) 426-4338

9 Tyler St
Boston, MA 02111 42.351 -71.0608

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Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Central, Downtown, Chinatown / Leather District

CHINAPEARLRESTAURANT.COM

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants, Wholesale Importers

Payment Methods:

Gift Certificate, American Express, Cash, Visa, Discover, MasterCard, Travelers Check

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Family-Friendly Dining, Late Night Dining, Brunch, Theater District Dining, Family Style Dining, Group Dining, Cheap Eats

Cuisine:

Dim Sum, Chinese

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About China Pearl Restaurant

Featured Review

Gerrish Lopez

Contributor

Located in the heart of Chinatown, this acclaimed restaurant has become synonymous with dim sum, offering a breathtaking variety of Chinese delicacies. Weekend waits are a given for the suburban families and homesick college students who fill communal tables (larger groups usually get a table of their own). Harried servers are constantly in motion, pushing rickety carts of dim sum past curious onlookers. While there's a standard Cantonese menu of familiar dishes (orange flavored chicken), most diners come here for the high-quality dim sum, of which there are dozens of varieties. By offering…

Editor's Tips

Save Time:
The restaurant gets particularly crowded around noon on Sundays. Arrive early to avoid the rush.
Know Before You Go:
Unless you have a native speaker in your party, expect a bit of difficulty in discerning what certain items are (most servers can't be called upon to help).
When to Go:
Weekday diners can enjoy dim sum at all hours, but on weekends it's not served after 3pm.
ambiance
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. But parking is expensive and road-side impossible ($5 per half hour).
  2. True dim sum atmosphere with an enormous selection and good quality and consistency.
  3. We had a wedding here of 100 people in the woburn ma location this past weeken(8/2/08) and everyone said to me that it was the best chiense food they ever had and every one went home full ( how many weddings you been to can say that ) ,, and the owner Bri
  4. appreciated the friendliness and efficiency of the staff, the paramilitary way in which tables are seated and the distinctive Chinatown ambiance.
  5. The only other good place is Hei La Moon but the experience and atmosphere of the pearl will be eternal.
  6. The decor is quite nice, banquet-hall style but Saturday / Sunday afternoons are so crowded that people tend to share tables.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. this place is great for lunch dinner or a event ,,, thanks again china pearl for a great night "" oh ya and the drinks ,, tell ya one thing no one went home sober lol
food quality
79.16999816894531% positive
  1. I've been to other dim sum with more varieties, but we reached full stomachs well before we got bored with the food.
  2. However, the bottom line for me was that the food just wasn't that good.
  3. There's a good spread of dishes to sample, and the price is reasonable.
  4. Very authentic dim sum place
  5. We had a wedding here of 100 people in the woburn ma location this past weeken(8/2/08) and everyone said to me that it was the best chiense food they ever had and every one went home full ( how many weddings you been to can say that ) ,, and the owner Bri
  6. best food ever ,, and great staff
  7. Great food, mediocre selection, quick service
  8. It is in a huge two story building and offers many different standard dim sum dishes to please the palate.
  9. The dim sum here is probably among the best in Boston for its fresh variety of delicious dishes.
  10. Even though the service was wonderful, the food was the star of the evening.
  11. The seafood (shrimp, mussels, and crab) were fresh and tasty.
  12. We were carrying a lot of packages from a shopping trip, the Host helped us to find a place to sit the packages so we could be free to fully enjoy our meal.
menu variety
78.5699987411499% positive
  1. For people both new and old to dim sum, it's a great place to try out a large selection of different foods.
  2. I've been to other dim sum with more varieties, but we reached full stomachs well before we got bored with the food.
  3. After going to several different dim sum places in Boston, I've found that China Pearl is the best in terms of variety and consistency.
  4. dim sum is one of my favorite ethnic options and I have been really curious to try China Pearl after having read so many positive reviews.
  5. Great food, mediocre selection, quick service
  6. True dim sum atmosphere with an enormous selection and good quality and consistency.
  7. The dim sum here is probably among the best in Boston for its fresh variety of delicious dishes.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. The only other good place is Hei La Moon but the experience and atmosphere of the pearl will be eternal.
  2. It is a great place for dim sum.
  3. This is a great place to go for dim sum.
  4. For people both new and old to dim sum, it's a great place to try out a large selection of different foods.
  5. China Pearl is a great place for dim sum compared to other places in the mini-Chinatown of Boston.
service
85.0% positive
  1. The decor is quite nice, banquet-hall style but Saturday / Sunday afternoons are so crowded that people tend to share tables.
  2. Even though the service was wonderful, the food was the star of the evening.
  3. Great food, mediocre selection, quick service
  4. appreciated the friendliness and efficiency of the staff, the paramilitary way in which tables are seated and the distinctive Chinatown ambiance.
  5. The service has been incredibly friendly despite the busy weekends and have been more than accommodating for each occasion.
  6. best food ever ,, and great staff
  7. The service was outstanding.
  8. The servers in general speak some English, but when all else fails, pointing works too.
  9. For people both new and old to dim sum, it's a great place to try out a large selection of different foods.
  10. We had a wedding here of 100 people in the woburn ma location this past weeken(8/2/08) and everyone said to me that it was the best chiense food they ever had and every one went home full ( how many weddings you been to can say that ) ,, and the owner Bri
value
60.0% positive
  1. But parking is expensive and road-side impossible ($5 per half hour).
  2. We had a wedding here of 100 people in the woburn ma location this past weeken(8/2/08) and everyone said to me that it was the best chiense food they ever had and every one went home full ( how many weddings you been to can say that ) ,, and the owner Bri
  3. There's a good spread of dishes to sample, and the price is reasonable.
  4. It is in a huge two story building and offers many different standard dim sum dishes to please the palate.
  5. One of our guests was not a huge dim sum fan so he was a bit tentative especially when it wasn't clear what we were eating.
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. Great food, mediocre selection, quick service
1 Star Rating: Poor

06/27/10

Beware of poor restaurant practice!

by andy501076 at Citysearch

I been a faithful follower of China Pearl for years, but recently service there has been disappointing that made me want to retract my previous good reviews.

Today, one of the dish we order was fried, and when we got it, it was very cold. When we called the server over and request for a new one, he and she wanted to simply throw in the fryer to reheated. I cook fry food from time to time, and fried food need to be hot to be delicious, other wise it's going to be mushy, or trap too much oil to be delicious. Long story short, THEY TOOK THE FOOD BACK AND PUT IT DIRECTLY ON THE COUNTER, AND PLAN TO GIVE IT TO OTHER CUSTOMERS.

This is very disturbing for a frequency diner, and I think this is a poor business practice. I want to inform other diner of this issue, and dine at your own risk. Thank you.

  • Pros: price and environment
  • Cons: they put returned food out for sale again
4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/08/10

Dim Sum Yum

by bffoodie , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Once upon a time I heard that Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger fame liked China Pearl for dim sum, so I grabbed a bunch of friends and off we went.

We were not disappointed. Dish after dish tasted fresh, and authentic. One of our guests was not a huge dim sum fan so he was a bit tentative especially when it wasn't clear what we were eating. The rest of us just dug in and enjoyed every bite.

  • Pros: so much good food
  • Cons: you might not know what you're getting
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/13/10

Best Dim Sum Ever Eaten

by Ronda S at Citysearch

Took the family (2 adults & 2 children) into the China Pearl. We were greeted nicely at the door by a gentleman in a suit. We were the first to arrive for the evening. We were carrying a lot of packages from a shopping trip, the Host helped us to find a place to sit the packages so we could be free to fully enjoy our meal.

The service was outstanding. Very clean and professional. The staff was aware of our table and would promptly arrive with water or tea before we even asked.

Even though the service was wonderful, the food was the star of the evening. We tried several different Dim Sum items and each one was a treat in itself. Fresh made and hot. Presentation was outstanding, to the point that we took photos. We had the steamed BBQ pork buns, and they were out of this world, the best we had ever eaten. The seafood (shrimp, mussels, and crab) were fresh and tasty. Everything was exceptionally good.

Would I recommend this restaurant... oh yes! We have added it to our "must visit" places for out-of-town guests. We will also be returning quite frequently, for the prices were comparable as well.

  • Pros: Best Dim Sum
  • Cons: None
4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/17/08

Great food, mediocre selection, quick service

by scottieb3 at Citysearch

We had dim sum brunch before catching a train at South Station and found this place to be perfect. The food was as advertised, delicious and constant with a good amount of selection. I've been to other dim sum with more varieties, but we reached full stomachs well before we got bored with the food. Though we were stuck in an out of the way corner, we still had constant service and were able to get in, eat, pay and leave all within a busy Sunday morning hour. Our one downside was the apparent drought: we were never once offered water and only after getting up and bugging some of the other servers did we finally get any.

  • Pros: Service, quality, speed
  • Cons: Busy atmosphere inside, poor water service
1 Star Rating: Poor

09/21/08

I don't get the hype...

by JillyMink at Citysearch

Dim Sum is one of my favorite ethnic options and I have been really curious to try China Pearl after having read so many positive reviews. I appreciated the friendliness and efficiency of the staff, the paramilitary way in which tables are seated and the distinctive Chinatown ambiance. However, the bottom line for me was that the food just wasn't that good. The dumpling wrappers were thick and over-cooked, the fillings themselves lackluster. I also found that there wasn't much variety in the choice of dumplings. Almost all were some sort of shrimp plus something option, just another generic assembalance of the same ingredients in different configurations.

If this is truly the best Dim Sum option in Boston, I think I'll skip it and wait until I leave town.

  • Pros: Efficient service, cheap
  • Cons: Food isn't up to par

The Details on China Pearl Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • great dim sum place
  • best dim sum
  • outstanding service
  • best chiense food
  • great price
  • good everything
  • mediocre restaurant
  • fresh seafood
  • best bet
  • favorite ethnic options
  • mediocre quick service
  • fails else
  • quite nice decor
  • fully enjoy meal
  • great staff
  • best dim sum option
  • not huge dim sum fan
  • distinctive chinatown ambiance
  • good quality
  • huge story building
  • best china pearl
  • amazing owner brian
  • not that good food
  • road-side parking
  • outstanding presentation

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