Crystal Dumplings

The wood laminate table was well worn and sticky. The well embedded oily element set the stage for my meal. There were a number of items unavailable, which increased the general disappointment as the menu is relatively limited for a place which bills itself as a dim sum establishment. As the dumpling craze is in full bloom, it has been my experience that the overall quality of these smaller, independent establishments can be dicey. The spicy won tons had a grainy texture and the stuffing was devoid of flavor. The pork buns were marginally better but the stuffing was meager and they had been steamed too long, so they were peeling like skin after a sunburn. The chicken bun was the opposite - quite doughy, but chicken texture and flavors were muddy. The best item was the pork and shrimp dumplings, which were tightly stuffed and brimming with sweet shrimp flavor. Limited counter service. Regrettably, the quality is way below that of the Google reviews. I can’t recommend this place as much as I would like to. I was the only customer at the time of my visit.

A pretty disappointing place considering the price point that they charge, we got the impression online that it would be a restaurant, it’s more of a take out place. The menu is limited and sparse, the shrimp noodle was not smooth as it normally should be and bland. The siu Mai was maybe the best thing we had there but I could have done better at home. It’s a place for a quick swing by and order but I do not recommend it.

It's express style dimsum. Really convenient for rake out in early morning. I got multiple items and they are delicious. Shrimp dumpling and the pork soup dumpling, a little long wait but worth it, very juicy

If you’re in the mood for some legit dumplings at a great price, Crystal Dumpling delivers. You order at the counter and wait for your food, which is super chill once you figure out how the setup works, it’s a bit confusing when you first walk in. The food? Solid. Authentic flavors that hit the spot. Their milk tea and iced tea are great, too. That said, everything comes in plastic to-go containers, which feels a little excessive. I get it, it’s convenient, but I’d love to see the owners consider more sustainable options. Now, about the chili oil. I ordered the wontons chili oil, and they were good, but the portion of chili oil was tiny. Like, enough for one or two dips, and it’s gone. When I asked for more, I had to pay extra. I don’t mind paying, but c’mon, it’s wontons in chili oil, make it generous! On the upside, the staff is friendly, so no complaints there.

I like the buns and the sticky rice is a lot even though I thought it was little from the way it looks. Highly recommend for breakfast and brunch.

Cheap dumpling with cheap quality. Stopped by this morning at 11. Firstly, store has a cool decoration with a Chinese theme. They design the store as a togo place, you order and serve by yourself. We ordered 4 items, and nothing looks like photos :) The shrimp scallop fell off when we touched it. Rice rolls were thick and dry. Bean curd rolls were ok but not tasty. Only thing I can eat is the tripes. Last words, the store was hot and no conditioner when we visited. They really steamed me like a dumpling :)

Absolutely delicious! MUST try dishes are the shrimp rice noodles, the pork soup dumplings (TOTALLY worth the 20 minute wait) and the custard buns. Everything was made FRESH. We have been eating Dim Sum for over 40+ years, and can vouch this place is legit!

This place makes great dimsum. I LOVE THEM!! Starting out with appetizers, getting these fried items are great options. Make sure to eat while they’re hot and crispy for the best taste and texture. They come with mayo dip too but I don’t think you need it. Main dimsum dishes are great! My favorites are har gow and shumai. You get big prawns, awesome scallops and soft pork inside. They’re perfectly seasoned and mixed well before steaming. SIMPLY EXQUISITE. The sticky rice is GREAT too if you want something very filling (and with GREAT yummy filling) No sauce needed for any item - they’re very delicious on their own! OMG THE BAOS I love the yellow custard bun - it’s got tasty custard that melts in your mouth. Pork buns are very well made too! Side dishes are absolutely wonderful traditional Chinese dishes. Fried rice is very Asian. I LOVE IT!! Chicken feet is actually one of the best I’ve had. They’re FAT!! To get even fancier, try beef tribe. I got iced tea as my drink. It’s sweet but not too sweet. Great for accompanying dimsum and cutting the flavor very well.

I've never reviewed one of my favorite dim sum spots! That's incredible - especially thinking about the frequency I'm here. Crystal Dumpling is a cute little shop in the same plaza as the Mokkoji, Pho 45, and the Banh Cuon place that is really popular. The parking lot can be pretty packed - esp during the weekend. This place has some seats to sit but is mainly more of a to-go spot as they serve all their items in to-go containers. We love coming here for a quiet meal before running some errands. Service is quick and helpful. When you walk in, you see the menu and the cashier is around the left side - ready to take your order. They run out usually by the early afternoon so I don't recommend coming anytime after 2PM. Our favorites are: - Shu Mai (5/5): Plump and juicy, perfect with pork and shrimp flavor - Xa Xiu Bao (5/5): Their dough is really fluffy and pairs nicely with the sweet savoury meat. I love that they don't skimp on the meat inside. - Chili Wontons (5/5): Sooo good. My absolute favorite item here and I much prefer this version over other places, including Din Tai Fung. They really make it amazing with their homemade sauce. I also love dipping other dumplings and the bao in the leftover sauce as well. The wontons are soft and juicy and pair beautifully with the savoury, spicy sauce.

We needed a quick morning bite and stumbled in this little gem. We were greeted immediately by a very nice lady. We ordered two fried rice, shrimp rice noodles and mushroom bao bun. If we had more time, we would've ordered more of the classic dim sum but we were in a hurry. The food came out pretty quick. I love the artwork and decor representing the street food and classic dim sum. Friendly staff and solid flavors make this a great dine-in or grab-and-go option!

Dim Sum Gem! I've been hearing good things about this little dim sum spot and finally made it in--so glad I did! It's a bit unassuming from the outside, but there's a beautiful mural that caught my eye right away. I love discovering these low-key places that don't scream for attention but let their food do all the talking. Right off the bat, I was impressed by the limited menu. To me, that's always a good sign--they're focused and they know what they do well. I ordered the shrimp wonton soup, shrimp & chive dumplings, and shrimp rice noodle soup. Everything was hot, fresh, and way better than I expected. The broth in the wonton soup was flavorful and comforting, the dumplings had that perfect chewy texture, and the rice noodle soup was light but packed with flavor. Can't wait to come back and try more. Definitely a hidden gem worth checking out!

Service was good and food came out fast! Very fun interior with seating. Perfect spot to satisfy a quick craving.

Service 9/10 Cleanliness 10/10 Atmosphere 10/10 Food 7/10 Food was good, I would say not as authentic as I had hoped but it was good for my cravings

Place is clean and has cute decor. Selection is small and food comes out fast (it's dim sum so it's already steamed). I ordered the pork siumai and shrimp ha gow and their sweet soft tofu. Flavor is spot on and authentic. Tofu needed more ginger syrup. Value was okay. Wish they had more choices.

Decided to give this place a try since i love the idea of fast, quick dimsum. The store is clean. Customer service is nice and welcoming. Food is good until it isnt. Pork XLB is decent, a little bit salty, overpriced i would say. Almost 18$ for 10pc Shrimp Rice Rolls are okay, overcooked so the rice rolls turned soggy and gamey. Chicken feet is okay, lack of flavors And oh boy the star of the day, the questionable Fried Shrimp Beancurd rolls. Smells good, looks weird and bravely took a bite and it was so bad. Im not sure if i would come here again. Order #23 of 5/14.

Came here on a Sunday and the place isn't full. Walked in on a hot day and it was hotter inside than outside. We waited 10 mins to order but the lady working didn't even acknowledge us. Food on the menu looked good and that's what enticed us to walk in. Looks like there is nothing express about this place except making you want to expressly leave!

Crystal Dumplings is a solid spot for a fast casual dim sum experience! This spot is located in a plaza with a good amount of parking spots that could fill up fast depending on the day and time you can come. I would definitely recommend coming here earlier in the day as some of their more popular items could sell out. Inside, they have about 5-6 tables for seating and some amazing artwork paying homage to traditional dim sum and street food. For their menu, they have a great selection of all the dim sum staples! I came with some fam for brunch and we got a spread of the Pork & Shrimp Siumai, Shrimp Har Gow, Spicy Wontons, BBQ Pork Buns, Chicken Mushroom Buns, Salted Egg Yolk Buns, Stewed Beef Tripe, and Pork Soup Dumplings. Overall, everything we had was delicious and tasted just as good as the dim sum carts. All of the staff here are very friendly and welcoming. This spot is definitely a great option for those looking for a fast casual dining vibe or even just to grab and go!

If you're in the mood for some legit dumplings at a great price, Crystal Dumpling delivers. You order at the counter and wait for your food, which is super chill once you figure out how the setup works, it's a bit confusing when you first walk in. The food? Solid. Authentic flavors that hit the spot. Their milk tea and iced tea are great, too. That said, everything comes in plastic to-go containers, which feels a little excessive. I get it, it's convenient, but I'd love to see the owners consider more sustainable options. Now, about the chili oil. I ordered the wontons chili oil, and they were good, but the portion of chili oil was tiny. Like, enough for one or two dips, and it's gone. When I asked for more, I had to pay extra. I don't mind paying, but c'mon, it's wontons in chili oil, make it generous! On the upside, the staff is friendly, so no complaints there.

Food comes out fast and hot. I don't think the soup dumplings are that authentic. They were okay. But the environment is nice. Feels like I'm in china. Service was pretty fast considering it looks like only two people are working. The shrimp rice rolls are also pretty good.

Not what I expected based on the previous yelp reviews. These dim sum items are basically frozen and reheated when ordered...maybe they all like this are around here - dunno! It's got a stale look to it and tastes bland. However, the server was very sweet and nice.

Finally back for my favorite chicken feet and wonton! Bringing my dad this time and he love it too! Delicious!

Unfortunately, this was a complete miss. We wanted to try this casual dim sum spot in hopes of finding an alternative to the craziness of Seafood Cove. The restaurant has a weird vibe overall. The tables are sticky and the food comes out on paper plates. The food itself was a disappointment. Bland flavors and weird textures. Even the chili oil couldn't save the flavorless dumplings. None of the dishes stood out as being decent. Sadly, we will have to brave the crowds at Seafood Cove.

Ive been dreaming about massive dumplings ever since my last visit here 6 months ago-- I phoned in my order and picked up to-go . Everything was the same from my last review-- parking is a little rough, customer service is wonderful per usual, inside of the restaurant is clean ... EXCEPT the fact that the sui mai is SMALLERRRR . (You can do a comparison with my photos) . Overall, the taste of the sui mai is still fresh, hot, and delicious, but I can no longer brag about how massive the sui mai is here because it is not . I am now back on the quest to search for the most colossal sui mai in OC . Unfortunately, SHRINKFLATION is sooo real . UPDATE-- i also decided to try the shrimp bean curd rolls again and this time they were no longer slimy ! They're crunchy, fresh, and filled with WHOLE shrimp now instead of the ground shrimp paste . It's served with a sweet mayo dip . I would recommend trying these (:

Fast and nice service! The space is clean and the food is good! Would recommend the shrimp rice noodles.

How did I never know about this place?? I was craving dim sum in the afternoon & discovered that there was a place that was serving dim sum until 4pm. I was so happy they had chicken feet. The only thing I was not a fan of were the chili wontons because there was no spice at all. Everything else was yummy though!

When I need to fulfill a small craving for dim sum I come here. I just want a personal portion of shu mai, har gow, and spicy wontons without going to the dim sum restaurants. This place hits the spot. Service is quick and all food is given in a to go box, sauce too. Restaurant is clean and orders come out within a reasonable amount of waiting time.

Great dim sum place with decent prices. I had been eaten here for over 6yrs since my kid in elementary and now almost done with Jr High school. Great portion, less oily with very decent prices. Located in a shopping plaza with great parking. The place feels old with sticky tables and cheap mural even though they did remodeled. Don't get me wrong, it aok but just not fit well...the order counter is clean and nice. The staff is very polite, nice and attentive. Majority orders are takeout not eaten in. But don't let it be fool, try it and you see what I mean. I only ordered, siu mai, bbq pork bun, spicy dumplings, and fried shrimps beancurd (abit burned but still tasty).

service was great and friendly, but the food was meh. my husband felt the bao was factory made or frozen. The dim sum is definitely not authentic Cantonese dim sum. We brought some leftovers home and the first thing my daughter said was the food feels like it's frozen, not fresh and handmade. Sorry, we won't be back.

Customer service is really nice, we were hungry started choosing a lot, staff was helpful with order and their suggestion.

Highly recommend the shumai and the shrimp dumpling. I tried the shrimp and chive, it's delicious too. Call in and pick up so it was fast and no wait

This place is the vibes. But it's kinda hot in here so they need to kinda blast the a/c know what I'm saying? Yeah this place is good, but not as good as Christ Jesus. Amen. The service is very nice because I was able to move all the tables around for a big group. Also the price is very reasonable. But again they need to blast their a/c because I am sweating my booty off. Like there's no friction between my buttcheeks lol. Anyways place is good you should try it. Maybe bring an a/c haha

Rare dimsum gem in town, amazing food service and drink deals. Everyone should come here for a try.

I'm starting to think these 5 star reviews are fake. How does this business still operate and stay open? Recently visited this place to pick up hargow & shumai. Everything tasted like it was microwaved, not fresh. Hargow skin was thick and hard to chew. Shumai was thick chunks of pork that has not been cut up properly. At one point, I had to double check to see if it was fully cooked. Will definitely not visit this place again.

The inside is very spacious and clean. I love the decor and how it feels very cultured! The service was really fast and nice. Food was very fresh and delicious but banh cuoc tom was not the best compared to other places and shu mai was a little mushy texture. But tripe was delicious! Also green thai tea was delicious.

My favorite item at crystal dumplings are the mushroom chicken bao and spicy wontons. Both are extremely flavorful and the to go service is really fast. You'll have your food nicely packaged, hot and ready in under 5 minutes. The inside is decorated with colorful murals and the workers are really friendly.

This is one of my favorite dim sum spots and its very affordable for the high quality food you get out of it! I love coming here especially since its very lowkey.

This place is very nice, clean, and has that asian vibe. You feel like you are in China. They all have the good stuft for dim sum. Service was on point and fast. Would recommend this place for friends and family. Come and support this place!

I love this hidden gem for a quick bite. Big shout out to the cashier she's very kind and attentive! 10/10 !!

Good quick easy spot for takeout dim sum! Food comes to-go, and restaurant is on the smaller side but good for a craving

Came here to pick up some dim sum in the morning and the service was good and order came fast considering they had to steam it fresh. The siu mai were big and meaty. The ha gao was very juicy and I also like the sticky rice, very good size with decent filling. The tripes were tender and flavorful.

Good stuff, nice spot for some lunch. enjoyed the shumai, pork buns and custard buns. Probably going to put it into the regular rotation for lunch

Interesting concept: fast food serving a small selection of good to excellent dim sum for reasonable prices. Crystal Dumpling is located in one of those ubiquitous strip malls found all over Little Saigon and OC KTown in Garden Grove. It is located in the heart of the latter, and was fairly empty when we stopped by for lunch on a Tuesday. There is parking available in the large central lot, but the spots in the center are meant for tiny cars (not very wide)...small door dings seem to be the price one pays for shopping/dining here. Once you enter, you realize there is a fast food register in front, with the small menu above. The young woman worker was very friendly, and explained to me what type of Boba was in the HK iced tea. We placed our order, and was told that the XLB would take 20 minutes. We paid and then found a place to sit. In about 10 minutes, we got two of our dim sum with drinks, and then the XLB came 10 minutes after that. All were delivered to your table. HK Lemon Iced Tea ($5) - crystal boba is basically a jelly and were too big to suck through the given straw. There's a reason why boba straws were invented. Pork Shrimp Shumai ($5) - 4 big pieces. came with a vinegar dipping sauce. The meat was very coarsely ground. Loved the texture and flavor and would get this again. Shrimp Dumplings ($5) - 4 pieces. It was fine, decent amount of shrimp. A lot smaller in size than the shumai. Pork Soup dumplings ($8 for 5). Got 2 servings of this for a total of 10 dumplings. What was very clever was that each had its own aluminum serving dish, so sharing was easy. Plus if you messed up and tore the skin, the juice would just pool in each dish, which you could immediately finish. It's the same dish that usually houses mini custards. As for the dumpling itself, it was good. The skin at the top was a bit thick and doughy, but there was plenty of soup in the dumpling. Came with a ramekin of soy sauce...would have loved sliced ginger in it. One negative thing was that the table surface was very sticky. Probably could have used a good wipe down, but the stain/glaze was badly worn as well, so not really sure if that would have helped. There is a section where you can pick up chopsticks, napkins. And you bus your empty containers yourself.

This is my first time coming here and I really enjoyed the experience! The tripe is really good.

I love going to this place with my daughter. There's never a wait and the food is always delicious. Customerservice is also good. How do you recommend it

We were one of only two customer groups there, and after paying for our dim sum, we waited for an eternity. It turned out they were holding our entire order for a single item from the kitchen. All other dim sum items were already prepared and waiting behind the front counter, stored in plastic containers placed inside steel dim sum containers. This method of storing plastic inside steel is concerning, as plastic melts and leaches toxins. Even setting aside this health hazard, the ready-to-eat items weren't offered to us until the last dish arrived from the kitchen, which is highly unusual compared to other eateries. The service also lacked professionalism, and ultimately, the food quality and taste were poor. Overall, the atmosphere felt eerie--just traditional Chinese-imitating music, with no voices from customers or the cashier. I do not recommend this place.

Located in the expanding Han's Plaza off Garden Grove Blvd is an expanding area that used to be general retail but now includes coffee shops and also alternatives for dim sum when places like Seafood Cove 2 are too crowded on the weekends. One such place is Crystal Dumplings. Now this is a kinder, gentler form of dim sum rather than the frentic, hectic chaos of the typical larger sit-down establishments. Crystal is a quiet location that has a quiet ambience albeit the service while polite can take a while when comes to preparation of the food so be patient even if arriving early. As for the food it was reasonably priced and satisfying. The baos and har gow were some of the highlights while the shumai and steamed rice noodle rolls were just decent. Overall, a good option for dim sum when want a quick fix without having to wait a long time.

Store was very clean. No long line unlike other fast food dim sum places. A lot of variety on the menu as well with all the classics that you would want at a dim sum place.

Quick service, more of a grab and go spot. The food prices are okay, maybe a little higher for dimsum foods than I'd prefer but that's everywhere these days. The food itself is alright! We tried the shumai, hargow, spicy wontons, rice rolls... I don't really have any complaints, it was standard but it was not necessarily enjoyable enough for me to crave it again. If you're looking for something quick, this will satisfy your dimsum cravings but it is not the kind of place that I'm blown away by. If convenient, I'd come again but I would not go out of my way!

I couldn't wait to try this restaurant, based upon reviews. It's small, and it's in a strip mall that never seems to have parking, but I found a spot and walked over. Unfortunately, the pork bao rolls that they are known for they were out of. And they were out of the shrimp dumplings also. I tried a few things here, service was very fast and also very matter-of-fact. The interiors and serving dishes are not much to talk about as far as in-dining restaurant ambiance. As others have noted, everything is in paper plates or to go containers.

Scrumptious selection of food!! Helpful and accommodating staff and comfy seating area :D

Very cute restaurant. I tried a few dishes. Would come back again to try more dishes. Food was good.

Quick service and i can tell the quality of the ingredients is very good! The xiu mai has distinguishable pieces of meat which makes it stand out beyond other dim sum spots. Will be coming back!

The food is okay. Tables are incredibly dirty and sticks to hands/clothes. The food is served in disposable plastic containers even if you order for dining in. Super hot food in thin plastic. Ants are on the counter..

This a cozy, and casua spot with delicious and affordable dumplings. You order at counter and recieve your food in take out counters/paper plates. Service is pretty fast.

Food: 4/5 delicious just smaller portions than other places i've gone. Service: 5/5 super nice! Ambiance: 5/5 nice quiet place.

View good. No need wait. Best !hope to eat Sated Egg Bun. Waiting that but only weekend

new menu in case you guys have not seen it. They dont have the scallop dumplings but have more good items I think