China Pearl Restaurant

Doesn't Recommend

andy501076

Joined 5 years ago

Beware of poor restaurant practice!. 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.

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bffoodie

Joined 3 years ago

Dim Sum Yum. 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.

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Ronda S

Joined 3 years ago

Best Dim Sum Ever Eaten. 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.

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scottieb3

Joined 5 years ago

Great food, mediocre selection, quick service. 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.

Doesn't Recommend

JillyMink

Joined 5 years ago

I don't get the hype.... 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.

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tamdel

Joined 5 years ago

best food ever ,, and great staff. 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 Brian was amazing from day one planning this ,,, they did everything we asked ,, and thety let me decated which ever way i wanted,,,,, and everything was a great price.... 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

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Gerrish Lopez

Joined 6 years ago

Asian ex-pats and students fight through the crowds to snag a seat at Chinatown's top destination for dim sum.. 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 authentic, Old World delicacies (periwinkles with a spicy black bean sauce, steamed chicken feet) and simple, tasty buns and dumplings (savory shrimp shumai, sweet barbecued pork buns), the kitchen keeps dim sum veterans happy while providing beginners with a wonderful introduction to this popular dining phenomenon.

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b00pi3flak3s

Joined 10 years ago

Pearl of Boston's Chinatown. The Dim Sum here is probably among the best in Boston for its fresh variety of delicious dishes. There is a considerable amount of stuff to choose from, however, its recommended that you get what you want quickly before someone else in the immense crowd snags it. The service has been incredibly friendly despite the busy weekends and have been more than accommodating for each occasion. The decor is quite nice, banquet-hall style but Saturday / Sunday afternoons are so crowded that people tend to share tables. The prices are consistent with most Dim Sum places and most importantly are not back breaking. Best recommended for the average Dim Sum foodie who can get here before the noon rush.

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fantasian

Joined 7 years ago

Great Variety. 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. For people both new and old to dim sum, it's a great place to try out a large selection of different foods. In particular, I have found that China Pearl has by far the largest selection of vegetarian options, with carts often containing meatless versions of the main staples. The servers in general speak some English, but when all else fails, pointing works too. The main downside is that China Pearl can get very crowded, especially weekend afternoons. Also, if you're seated in one of the wings, not all of the carts will come by, and not very frequently at that. If they put you off to the side, request a table near the center or the 2nd floor if it's busy enough to get all the carts.

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nlwing

Joined 8 years ago

Decent Dim Sum. China Pearl is a great place for dim sum compared to other places in the mini-Chinatown of Boston. It is in a huge two story building and offers many different standard dim sum dishes to please the palate. Going on the weekends is the best but it can also be the worst since that is when you have the most variety of food being offer but you have to wait in line. BUT that is the charm of dim summing: the crowd, the noise, and the ambience of sitting in a loud place while calmly sipping tea and chatting with your freinds