Dimsum Asian Bistro

Nice dim sum restaurant tucked in a corner of a plaza. Went on a Saturday around 1pm and the place was packed, lucky for us one window table was just being cleaned - so no wait. We were given an order form and color menus with lots of dim sum options and entrees. They offered canned sodas to drink, hot tea, or milk teas. We quickly ordered about 10 different dim sum dishes and the waitresses brought them out as the cook finished them, so they were scattered delivery but ok because it gave us time to taste and talk and make room on the table. Everything we tried tasted great. We enjoyed savory shrimp spring rolls, warm chicken curry, sweet crab ragoon, crispy wonton and shrimp, and more. Clean restaurant with nice artistic pieces. Spacious and the hostesses were attentive. Parking in the plaza was almost full so we parked further out from the restaurant and enjoyed a short walk and viewing the neighboring storefronts.

We have tried other dim sum restaurants in the area and it's our first time here. The place is not too busy on a Sunday. It got a bit more busy after a while near noon time. You order the dim sum on the dim sum sheet like most restaurants these days. They don't have the dim sum carts. If you expect that, you will be disappointed. The dim sum looks like freshly cooked. The pineapple bun doesn't disappointed. Most dum sum taste okay but not great. The shrimp dumplings are okay but very tiny. We tried many different dim sum and I think they probably self-learnt how to make them. I don't think the dim sum chef is a real dim sum chef. The price is very decent. I will try other places first before we would come back here and try different items.

We had dinner here last night. The food was awesome. We got these: 1. Green colored pork and chive potstickers with a crispy lace around them, which was absolutely delicious! 2. Crispy taro puff stuffed with chicken - it was awesome! 3. Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce - this was one of our favorites! 4. Pork and preserved egg congee - really good! 5. Shrimp shumai, pork shumai - both were absolutely delicious. 6. Creamy salt egg bun - this was our first time trying this. It was fun eating it, and it was surprisingly sweet. I expected it to be salty, but it was melting-in-the-mouth good! 7. Pan fried pork and onion stuffed pancake - this was one of the best items on the menu. It was delicious! 8. Sesame balls stuffed with sweet black bean paste - always a great snack, and it was awesome! 9. We tried both the mango and coconut desserts. Both were just aersome, but we liked the mango better with little bits of mango in it. 10. The jasmine tea was great too. One pot was enough for three of us.

They are only open 3 days a week because they spend the beginning of the week making fresh food. And yes, their food is always homemade. However, they are always busy but still very attentive to customers. Sometimes the wait is quite long because they are busy, but I am sure everything is the freshest and only made after ordering. Because the dim sum is handmade, it can be inconsistent, sometimes a bit salty, but the food is fresh and handmade, not salty like salt and inedible. In short, the dim sum here is delicious, the food is fresh, very friendly and attentive.

My wife likes the chicken feet. The hargow (shrimp dumpling) was fresh and soft but small. The crispy shrimp dumpling was really tasty. Nothing we didn't like.

Very disappointing!! Me & my bday twin took the day off and went here for our bdays. The dim sum dumplings were good but not impressive for the price. The fried rice was terrible for me, dry and tasteless…. as you can from the pics not good… I ordered vegetable fried rice and had onions and scallions, I sent my plate back to request real veggies and got raw ish veggies thrown on top. Would never go back here!

I came here for an early dinner and I was the only diner. The server was attentive and sweet. The dining room is large and open. I liked the decor and the music (no idea what they were singing but it had a rap, pop beat). The food portions were fine, however, the taste was not. I got the chicken mei fun. It had vegetables, which I appreciate, but the taste was bland and it was extremely oily. I’ve never had oily mei fun and really didn’t enjoy it. I also got the pork onion pancake and the crab rangoon. The pork pancake was sugary and oily, which should be a great combination, but wasn’t. The crab rangoon had no crab and the cream cheese was extremely sweet. It actually made a great fried dessert. I won’t be back.

Really good dim sum, everything was really fresh. There are no carts you just order from a menu and they bring it out freshly made. We also got the young chow fried rice to go with our dim sum and that was well made except they didn't put any roasted pork in it. I've eaten a lot of dim sum, the portions are smaller than what I'm used too. Everything tasted great but just in a smaller size. Definitely worth a trip back.

Came here for some lazy hangover dim sum on a Saturday morning and it was the perfect atmosphere. It was my girlfriend's first time trying dim sum and I had a lot of fun showing her all of my favourite dishes. Everything at East Coast Asian Bistro was great! We ended up spending just over $20 each and we shared baskets and baskets of dumplings pork buns and dessert. Paired with the jasmine tea, my meal brought me back to life. My faves were the Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, the pork buns, the bean curd, and the egg custard buns. Will definitely be coming back here soon!

***FOOD: honestly 2.5 stars. Please don't tell me this is the best dim sum Raleigh has to offer. It was lacking on so many levels - taste presentation authenticity. Haw gaw- skin too thick, so little filling & where's the shrimp?; Soup dumplings & potsticker dumplings - OK but filling was not very tasty, porridge - ho hum; radish cake- gluey tasteless. Truth is will probably go back for lack of option elsewhere if have a craving, but definitely have had better ***COST (OUT OF 4$) $$ ***DÉCOR: think it use to be an Irish pub /bar of some kind converted. No real Asian theme decor ***SERVICE: slow food in coming. Owner server was nice. ***RECOMMEND: sort of RECOMMEND if you have that craving.

Food was top notch. I think a lot of reviews are frustrated by the wait time to get their things. I was a little annoyed at first but it's important to keep in mind that this is a family owned space. They're doing their best and everyone seems to be working really hard at all times. Not to mention the wait times are because everything is fresh and not frozen. Absolutely loved everything. It was so good that I almost cried. The prices are great and the food is comparable to dim sum in nyc if not better. I hope this place stays around forever. 20/10!

I have been here a few times over the course of two years, and the service and quality of food has gone down. The service is very bad. They are consistently understaffed, so the waiters take long to take your order and give you your food. They do not refill your water or take your empty plates unless you ask. The food is mediocre and comes out slowly one by one, and it comes cold. The food comes in small portions and is salty. There are not many good dim sum options in the triangle region, but I would not recommend this restaurant.

This Asian Bistro exceeded all expectations, its a family owned restaurant and the ambiance was inviting and friendly . From the moment I stepped in, the restaurant's warm and traditional decor set the stage . The menu featured an array of Asian flavors, each dish crafted with precision and flair. The ordering process is simple, you have a paper menu on the table, you choose your plate and quantity. Once you're ready, the server will take your order and bring it all out. The attentive staff and prompt service added to the overall enjoyment, making it a must-visit for anyone craving a diverse and delectable experience. I ordered: pork bao, chicken and pork dumplings with general tso chicken and a side of rice.

My kids live nearby and whenever i come visit from Boston i beg to come here. The owner is so nice and the food is delicious. I will always come and eat here when im in Durham. My favorites are the chile dumplings, the crab Rangoon the scallion dumplings and the noodle crepe with the shrimp.

I am so elated that there's a dim sum place in the triangle area. I thought when I left SoCal I would be saying goodbye to my favorite Chinese cuisine. Thankfully this restaurant isn't too far away from our home in Raleigh. A few slight differences are the absence of food carts where you just pick and choose what you want. Instead you check off your choices in the menu. Secondly there are a few menu items present in say, Atlantic Seafood and Dim Sum, in Monterey Park that are not available. Notwithstanding that, I'm glad they have the mainstays of what a dim sum should have. Now the taste. The congee was a tad bland. The egg custard cup was not flaky and crispy and finally, the oyster sauce in the Chinese broccoli was watery. Otherwise the rest of the menu items were tasty and pleasant. The service was friendly and the food delivery prompt. But I think the reason why it was is because the place was not busy at all, it being a rainy, gloomy Saturday December 31st afternoon past 3. I figure it would be far more busy and hectic during the regular days since this is the only dim sum place for miles. The ambiance is a little confusing. The place looks more like a western restaurant with the wood tables and walls, with the exception of the back wall festooned with the traditional day-in-the-life Chinese paintings. Nonetheless, I've been to few Hong Kong dim sum hole-in-the-wall establishments that look like converted warehouses so who am I to complain. Overall, I find this a great place to ease the cravings and the food, gratefully does not disappoint. I'm definitely coming back.

Merry Christmas from Dim Sum Asian Bistro! We loved that this place was open for brunch. We even ran into a friend--the sign of a well-liked local establishment! What looks like a modest hole-in-the-wall from outside is actually a larger modern industrially and traditionally designed restaurant space. While I was greeted with familiar tastes, smells, and faces, I would have to agree with the other reviewers that I was somewhat underwhelmed. Taste is king, thus the 4-star rating, especially for authentic Asian food in Durham. I really liked the sweetness of the dough in the shrimp crepe open dumplings and deep fried chicken-filled balls. However, the portions were small, and the food wasn't as temperature hot as I'd prefer for hot dimsum on a winter day. And we couldn't continuously fill our table with new dishes and had to order everything ahead. I liked the familiarity of receiving food from the passing carts, but it didn't feel the same as having the food actually cooked and prepared on the carts by the waitstaff. All of this being said, I would definitely return. One of the better tasting authentic Asian restaurants closer to downtown Durham without having to venture to Raleigh or Cary.

The Dim Sum was good but ordering was confusing and I felt pressured. It was quite expensive too. I'd go again for sure.

Over the years I feel like they've been getting better and better! They are my absolute favorite dim sum place in the area. Since COVID, I don't think they do the cart service anymore, but they still offer the exact same menu and have added some new items to it. Everything we've gotten here has been incredible! The shrimp rice rolls, sticky rice, BBQ buns, creamy salted egg buns, jalapeno with shrimp, taro cake with curry sauce, shumai, eggplant with shrimp, and egg tarts are our favorites! But I really haven't had anything here that I didn't like! Definitely recommend getting some jasmine tea along with your meal as well. I always leave feeling full, happy, and warm!

There are no good Dim Sum options in the triangle, but when I'm craving Dim sum, this is my go to. My main problem with them is that the quality is inconsistent. Sometimes they are made well, other times they are over cooked and wet. Quality slightly improved since moving to new ownership/ name change. Either way, my favorite items to order are: shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, chicken feet, any congee (although they are stingy on the ingredients/protein inside it), and pork buns. We like to bring it home and enjoy it with our own spicy chili sauce and it makes these dishes better. Taste: 3/5 Presentation: 3/5 Recommend to a friend?: Nahh lol Consistent: yes Cost: $ Parking: plenty of parking in the large shopping center

As I wrote in my review for East Coast Asian Bistro in June 2020 (https://bit.ly/3OXQbiX), what's up with the name of this place? I guess it's more clear now. At that time, "Dim Sum Asian Bistro" was also going by its apparently-now-old name, "East Coast Asian Bistro." The business still went by "East Coast Asian Bistro" on their website, but the takeout menu I picked up in-person said "Dim Sum Asian Bistro." I took a photo of this inconsistency: https://bit.ly/3R3fgLf. As of 2022, it appears that East Coast Asian Bistro has fully made the transition to Dim Sum Asian Bistro. The business now technically goes by "Dimsum Asian Bistro" ("Dimsum" as one word) on their website (https://bit.ly/3bMDhpN) and physical menu and "Dim Sum Asian Bistro" ("Dim Sum" as two words) on their storefront. Bye bye, "East Coast Asian Bistro." From my "eye test" (using sports terminology here), Dim Sum Asian Bistro and East Coast Asian Bistro are the same business. The only thing that appears to have changed is the name. The restaurant interior, food/menu, and staff all appear to be the same. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the owner(s) simply renamed the business from East Coast Asian Bistro to Dim Sum Asian Bistro as a marketing decision. East Coast Asian Bistro was known in the Triangle for its dim sum, so why not just rename the restaurant to be more direct: Dim Sum Asian Bistro? Makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense to me, and others agree (e.g., see Fido D's 6/23/2022 review), is closing down the old Yelp page for East Coast Asian Bistro and opening up this new Yelp page for Dim Sum Asian Bistro. I think the reviews for the now-closed East Coast Asian Bistro are still valid: https://bit.ly/3P41c2t. The old page should have simply been renamed "Dim Sum Asian Bistro." In June 2022, I submitted a business info/details edit to Yelp to correct this issue. Sometimes the edits go through, other times they don't. There seems to be no rhyme or reason and we're at the mercy of Yelp's moderators. I also let Yelp NC Triangle Community Manager Janet R know. In the past, CMs have been helpful to me when I've had issues correcting business listing info. The result: Several reviews and photos of East Coast Asian Bistro in June 2022 were transferred to Dim Sum Asian Bistro. So, the East Coast Asian Bistro listing will remain permanently closed and this listing will represent the business going forward. Oh well. Yelp's never been perfect. I do note the Yelp pages for both East Coast Asian Bistro and Dim Sum Asian Bistro were claimed, so maybe the owner(s) have played a part in keeping the listings separate. Anyway, enough about the business name discrepancy and associated Yelp issues... I thought our last visit to Dim Sum Asian Bistro was just OK, hence my three-star rating. My wife liked/likes this place better than me. I will say a few of the big positives for me are the value, selection (over 60 dim sum items), and service. The dim sum here is reasonably priced and the staff is polite and efficient. The girl that's worked here for years is very cute and sweet. However, the overall quality of the food this last go-round was average at best and the portion sizes were too small in my opinion. At least they don't overcharge. Understandably, dim sum pricing had increased between our previous visit and our most recent visit. Pricing was as follows: Small - $3.45 Medium - $3.95 Large - $4.45 Special - $6.15 "T" (not sure what the "T" stands for) - $7.05 Dim sum is served all day, 11am to 8pm, everyday except Tuesday. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Dim sum cart service only occurs on weekends and holidays, 11am to 1:30pm. However, it's not a true dim sum cart service -- you order from a menu and your order is rolled out on a cart. It's not like traditional dim sum where the hot-and-fresh, ready-made foods are placed on carts and rolled around the dining room for customers to pick and choose for immediate consumption. In my experience, this is the most popular and recommended dim sum restaurant in the Triangle and perhaps all of North Carolina. I'm aware of Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant on Guess Road in Durham: https://bit.ly/3qZluAj. I've seen Dim Sum House in Morrisville on Yelp, but the average three-star rating and reviews have turned me off from that place: https://bit.ly/3NyfLdi. Are there any other "authentic" dim sum options in the area/state? This last time, we got: 9. Steamed BBQ Pork Bun (3 for $3.95) 12. Creamy Salt Egg Buns (3 for $3.95) 15. Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce ($6.15) 18. Chicken Feet ($3.95) 20. Beef Tripe ($4.45) 24. Crispy Taro Puff with Chicken (3 for $3.95) 29. Turnip Cake with Curry Sauce ($6.15) 33. Pan-Fried Pork Onion Pancake ($6.15) 48. Pork Preserved Egg Congee ($6.15) 56. BBQ Pork Noodle Crepe ($3.95) 62. Hong Kong Egg Tarts (3 for $3.95) From this group, I recommend Nos. 9, 12, 29, 33, 56, and 62, taking into account my comment on quality above. 15 and 20 disappointed.

Great authentic dim sum, and: available all day! Chicken feet, buns, steamed dumplings: all the classics.

Business model ruins the food which was subpar at best Took 45 minutes to get 4 of the dishes we ordered Fails: scallion pancake, pan fried pork buns One server wheels out all the dishes from the kitchen Food not hot when finally arrived and it didn't matter because I didn't want to eat most of it

Dim Sum served ALL Day? This is unheard of. When I read my fellow Elites reviews I had to take their word for it. I had been raving about my first dim sum experience to my friend/ fellow yelp elite at another establishment in Morrisville and we decided to feast on this reserved Juneteenth holiday. The restaurant is located in a international strip mall. You'll need to look for it to the far right. Upon arrival I began perusing the reviews on yelp/ Google. She convinced me to take the reviews with a grain of salt and try the business for myself. I'm so glad we did because we loved it ! Service was wonderful and we were seated quickly for a Monday after 2:00 pm. We decided on the steamed BBQ Pork buns, Green Chive and Pork dumplings in chili oil, pan fried turnip cake, crispy sticky rice dumpling with chicken, chicken spring rolls, cheese Rangoon wontons, and my favorite the creamy salt egg bun ! My favorites were the green chive and pork dumplings, bbq pork steam baos and cream salt egg buns. Everything was extremely tasty, those listed were excellent. The prices were excellent and we really enjoyed our meal. I was happy that my friend's first experience could be memorable and well enjoyed. I can't wait to return to try the weekend menu. Unfortunately they did not serve the Hong Kong Egg Tarts which I always look forward to. The creamy salt egg buns made up for it.

I love dim sum. I've gone to Hong Kong Restaurant on Guess Road for...I don't know...decades? I can't remember when there wasn't dim sum there. It's the go-to place for my work colleagues to celebrate events, and I'm in charge of ordering. My boss says it is part of the "other duties" on my job description. Closer to home I used to go to Dim Sum House by the airport (and a bunch of places before that which aren't open any more). But now it's Dim Sum Asian Bistro all the way. We love everything we get there, but here are some highlights that we don't see at many other places. Taro cakes. Like turnip cakes, but made from taro. Very nice. Taro cakes w/ curry sauce. Oh my. This is a treat. The taro cakes cut into squares, deep fried, in a light curry sauce. Large serving. Won tons in chili sauce. Another large serving, of bite-size wontons in a nice hot chili sauce. Best of the best: The best Yang Zhou fried rice I've ever had. Imagine if fried rice and rice congee had a baby. Fried rice with an egg custard sauce that just takes it to an amazing next level. You really want to order a plate for the table as soon as you sit down so you'll have it with your dim sum. Easy online ordering for pickup, if you know what all the items are well enough...no descriptions or images, just names. So, if you're not sure, use the pics of the menu that are uploaded here to at least get a visual. And when you pick up (and pay, no online paying) everything is incredibly well packaged. If something is extra potentially drippy thing it is individually wrapped in its own bag just in case. If you order multiple orders of the same dish, they combine them in a larger container. Attaching pictures from one of our orders, but there have been many takeout orders to get us through the pandemic; prior we visited to dine-in whenever we had out of town guests.

I came here to try out the local dim sum. It's located in a shopping center so there is a decent amount of parking. My friend and I ordered the (1) Beef Short Rib w/Pepper Sauce, (2) Shrimp Noodle Crepe, (3) Donut Noodle Crepe, (4) Crispy Taro Puff w/Chicken, (5) Beef Tripe, (6) Stuffed Bean Skin w/Pork & Vegetables, (7) Pan Fried Taro Cake, (8) Stuffed Eggplant w/Shrimp, and (9) Turnip Cake w/Curry Sauce. Everything tasted good although my favorite would definitely be the Turnip Cake w/Curry Sauce! These fried cubes of deliciousness were so addicting! They ran out of Chrysanthemum tea by the team we ordered, so we stuck with water. Unfortunately our overall experience was longer than expected. They are busy during lunch with many parties waiting to be seated. It's not like some dim sum places where they push around carts of cooked food around for ordering. Each table has a checklist if you already know what you want. Otherwise they will offer a menu. It took awhile for someone to come by to take our order and deliver the food. We got our entire order fulfilled with three trips. However some of amour dishes were lukewarm/cold by the time they got to us. Normally they will give you the check when they notice you are done, but we ended up going to the cash register to request our check after waiting for so long. We also just ended up getting the takeout boxes ourselves for the leftovers. Although they only had two people working the front, my friend said they were much more efficient during Mothers Day when it was busier and with the same amount of staff. Overall the food and prices were good. This seemed like an off day for them, so I would like to give it another try sometime.

I'm not sure where all the 4-5* reviews came from. The portion size of each order is very small. They were busy when we came in so we understand the food will take a while. We waited about 30-35 minutes for our food. Flavor was there for each dish. The turnip cake was probably the worse. There's nothing in it but turnip and rice flour. Usually there's some dried shrimp and chopped up sausages. For the wait time and the portion amount, we will probably take our chances and go to Hong Kong and hope they don't sit us in the neglected corners. Also the tea pot they served the hot tea was rusted.

This place sits in a shopping center and doesn't stand out so I expected it to be a little hole in the wall restaurant. Turns out, the interior is large and beautiful - do not judge a book by its cover! :) We came here on a Saturday at 11:30am ish and the place was expectedly packed, but we were seated in 5-10 mins, which was pretty fast for the Saturday brunch rush. As soon as we were seated, we received the menu to mark down what we ordered. It took about 30 mins between us ordering and getting served, which was fine for us - as long as you are prepared to wait, it should be fine. Food: 9)Steamed bbq pork buns: The flavor of the chasiu was off from what I am used to, but regardless the dish still tasted good 25)Crispy sticky rice dumpling with chicken: Did not love this dish - not my style 26)Sweet black bean sesame ball: Loved it! Very sweet and melted in my mouth 32)Crispy chicken tenderloin red chili sauce: This dish was not my style but the chicken was very crispy and flavorful 34)Scallion pancake: Doesn't look like it in the picture but it was pretty scallion heavy. I liked it but others might not 51)Chicken congee: Classic dish, could have had a little more flavoring but otherwise very yummy 55)Beef noodle crepe: Immaculate! Great flavor and texture

Okay. I ordered Dimsum. Half of the dishes I initially ordered were "sold out". To be fair, we did visit at 8 pm on Sunday evening. The Dimsum I did get was okay, although it wasn't served very hot at all. My friend ordered the "fish filet in soy sauce" ($13.95, with white rice). I HATE I forgot to take a pic of this dish!! The fish "filet" was chopped up in pieces, and definitely didn't seem completely cooked. And it was cold... just kinda floating in some soy sauce!?!? It literally looked like chum you would use to catch fish. I wish I was joking. Since there was only one person working the entire front...and she was quite busy...my friend carried the dish to her. She just kept telling him they "don't do refunds". At this point, my friend just didn't want to even look at the dish anymore (for obvious reasons). He was like "whatever" about the refund. Anyway, they charged us for the uneaten dish, and never offered a replacement. The server even brought the dish to our table AGAIN offering it, after my friend left it with her! Idc how good some of the food might be (mine was decent, but nothing blowing my mind), this is a completely disrespectful, way to treat any customers. Ever. I will never be back again. And, I will definitely spread the word!

Overall, very pleased with the food. The price point is is great compared to others in the area that offer traditional dim sum options. The quality was also on par if not better with the other places I've been that charge much more. Service was very minimal, but friendly. Never was asked for a refill or anything else after we ordered and received our food. Ambiance was clean, and very casual. After eating here I was extremely salted, more than usual from eating dim sum. However, the food is some of the best I had in the area. Between the overly high sodium and lack of service it would 5 stars. Overall, give it a try. Worth a visit!

I ordered food online at 7:20 on Sunday evening, and the order said it would be ready at 8:05. I arrived at the restaurant at 8:05 and was left waiting until 8:35 until my food was ready. Someone stopped by at 8:15 and said "the chef is working on your order now." What were they doing from 7:20 until 8:15? No one apologized or offered to help remedy the situation. Next time I want Chinese on a Sunday, I'll be patient and wait till Orient Garden opens on Monday.

It looks like they have officially changed the name from East Coast Asian Bistro to Dim Sum Asian Bistro. I'm not sure why the Yelp page for East Coast Asian Bistro wasn't updated for the new name, rather than there now being 2 yelp pages. I brought my family from out of town here for Sunday lunch. I knew that it would be busy. I walked in at 11:30am and it was packed! One of the ladies told us it would be about a 30 minute wait. We decided to wait and it took about 20 minutes to be seated. There really isn't a good waiting area so most people usually just wait outside. I'm not sure how they keep track of the order to seat people as they don't write anything down. They don't roll out the food on carts (like traditional dim sum) to choose from. You order it on a piece of paper and then they'll bring out your food. She said it would be a 30 minute wait for food to come out so I ordered everything I wanted rather than putting in multiple orders. One person in our party ordered a diet coke and we had to ask multiple times before they finally brought it out. I ordered 24 dishes (a few double orders of dishes I really like) for 5 people. The first round of food probably took a bit longer than 30 minutes. The next round of food came out 20-ish minutes later. Then the last round probably came out at the hour and 30 minute mark when we were wrapping up. I do like that they mark off the items when they bring it to the table so they know when you have received everything. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach as we ended up with leftovers. But it's okay, I just had my parents box it up and take it with them. I got the bill and the lady asked me to double-check it so I thought that was nice. My favorites are the shrimp noodle crepes, fried turnip cake, pork wontons in chili oil, and the scallion pancake. I think I'll do a take out order next time if I'm in a hurry.

We dine in today Monday, 6/20/22 around 2:30/3. This was my first time having a Dim sum and not my last time. The service was good. We were acknowledged immediately when we walked in. I enjoyed the selections. The Pork Green chive was my favorite. It was bursting with flavor in every bite. The steamed pork buns were delicious. The pain-fried turnip cake is a great flavor much like a potato substitute, I also enjoyed it. I also had the following (below) but I will skip these the next time. Crab cheese wonton was okay, but I tasted more cream cheese than anything. Crispy sticky rice dumplings and chicken spring rolls were a good flavor but not much excitement there. I will be back again soon to try the vegetables.

FAVORITE DIM SUM PLACE IN DURHAM. CAME HERE ALL FOUR YEARS THROUGHOUT COLLEGE WITH FRIENDS AND LOVE THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE RESTAURANT. SO KIND + WELCOMING + HOSPITABLE. GREAT FOOD If you're looking for some delicious and authentic Asian cuisine in Durham, Dim Sum Asian Bistro is definitely worth a visit. This restaurant offers a great selection of classic dishes, friendly service, and a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. The menu features a wide variety of Chinese and other Asian dishes, with a focus on dim sum (with a select few dishes only available on weekends). The dumplings are a must-try - they're fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The restaurant has a cozy and inviting feel, kinda like you're in a cozy cabin with plenty of seating and a nice ambiance, feeling right at home. Takeout is also available. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Great food, authentic dim sum, only downside is food is really pricey. For 4 people, expect to spend $100+ to actually get full.

Craving some dim? come here Randomly had a hankering for some dim sum so we hit up this place. Went here Sat around lunch time - place was kinda busy but not full so we were seated instantly. The options on the menu were quite diverse. I got my usge - shrimp dumplings/shumai, sweet buns, sticky rice, chinese broccoli. All were excellent and tasted authentic (at least to my americanized asian taste buds). We also got shrimp wrapped in eggplant which was quite succulent. Service was great (not the fastest but not bad). We did have to order a la carte (they didn't have the carts) so not quite the traditional dim sum experience, but whatever. Food was great, cheap - will be coming back.

Placed lunch order online with ECAB. The site was easy to use. Got my requisite Hunan Chicken, steamed rice, and egg roll. The time for ASAP orders was pretty far out, like 45 minutes, which was okay. So I started my journey to the ECAB and half way there (10 minutes), I received a text saying my order was ready. Nice! Upon walking into the restaurant, I was greeted by a woman who spoke to me by name and was incredibly courteous. She invited me to sit while she retrieved my order. I paid and she said she hoped I had a great weekend and Easter holiday. The food was packaged well with lots of chicken and veggies. The sauce was nicely seasoned with a bit of heat, which I love! The egg roll was next level! I don't what they do, but it had an Asian flavor that I don't see at any other Chinese takeout place. All in all, everything was great and the service pushes me to give a fifth start. Great place to eat!

Coming from the New York Metropolitan area, I grew up eating at a restaurant called Jing Fong (RIP), and have always been a big fan of dim sum. Though I never thought I would find a decent dim sum place after leaving the Northeast, this family owned restaurant definitely hits the spot. Just like Rhaegar Targaryen's daughter, this place goes by many titles, East Coast Asian Bistro or Dim Sum Asian Bistro, which makes it somewhat a pain to find, but when you figure that out, the food does not disappoint. My wife and I have been going to this place pre- and post-covid, and we have enjoyed it every time. The dumplings are delicious, and the chicken feet are cooked well in a scrumptious sauce. The Turnip Cake w/ Curry Sauce is amazing and does not disappoint. Finally the Egg Yolk Paste Sesame Ball is a great way to end a meal. Overall, a great place to curb your dim sum cravings (Probably because of COVID, make sure you call in before trying to dine-in)

I love this place! While I have not tried many dim sum, everything here is always great and delicious. My GO-TOs are the crispy chicken taro puffs, the turnip cakes, the stuffed sticky rice w/ chicken, and the shrimp stuffed eggplant. I haven't tried anything I do not like though. Especially since there are not many dim sum places in the area, this is relatively affordably priced and a great option.

Absolutely delicious! So many varieties of dumplings, dim sum, and other entrees. Plus absolutely kind and lovely staff.

Note: 1) been here once 2) before COVID 3) during the holidays 4) next to a bar Pros: 1) seems like pretty authentic food 2) food was pretty tasty (+2) 3) decent service (+2) Cons: 1) decor seemed a bit old and out of date 2) food was a bit more pricey Total: 4/5 One night, I was craving Dim sum and dragged my friends around town to try to find a good Dim sum place. My friend suggested this place in the area. He said that it was family run and had the cuisine that I desired. Upon arriving, I drove into the parking lot of a strip mall. A big loud bar was next door to this quiet little Chinese restaurant. When we entered, we were seated near an old looking fireplace. The place was not that packed but it was also dark and gloomy outside. A young preteen girl came and took our order and left. Then, an older woman came out to clarify a few pieces of information for our order. It really felt like a family run restaurant at that moment and made me feel more at home than any other restaurant that I've been to in the area. The food came out exactly as I ordered it and also relatively quickly. It was piping hot and really good. I haven't had dim sum in a long time and this hit the spot. The meat buns were pretty filled and savory. The Shumai was well seasoned and packed a lot of flavor. The shrimp dumplings were okay. Plain and simple shrimp flavor in a wrap. The potstickers were definitely the best part of the menu as it was well cooked. It was crispy, it was juicy, it was delicious. I have no major complaints here so if you want a family style setting with good potstickers and a nearby bar, this might be the place for you.

A dim sum place with actual cart service in a strip mall in Durham - unexpected! We didn't do the cart service, though, because we were going to eat at the brewery next door. The waitress was really helpful with setting us up with the to-go mark-off menu. The best things we got were: - Crispy taro puff with chicken: a cool play on different textures - Black bean sesame ball: same as above, not too sweet, really airy, one of the best of its kind that I've had - Stuffed eggplant with shrimp: soft and creamy with fresh shrimp The dumplings (everything else we got was some form of dumpling) were okay, but the skins were too thick and generally the sauces were too sweet.

Dumplings are fantastic... the best I've had in the United States. The dishes are solid, but not the best Ive had. Service is friendly and efficient. Prices are reasonable. Anyone complaining about this restaurant in previous reviews, doesn't know what they're talking about.

All things considered, I thought this place was decent but still falls behind my favorite classic dim sum place in Durham. My favorite dish was the shrimp dumplings followed by the eggplant with shrimp. I wanted to try the long noodles with shrimp, but it wasn't available when we went (on a Friday).

My favorite dim sum place. The staff I are always so nice. It feels like a neighborhood restaurant, the daughter that does much of the take out orders always remembers me. My wife and I go here regularly.

Our favorite dim sum place in the area! The food is always fresh and arrives in waves as soon as it's ready. Keep in mind that there are a few items that are only available on weekends, as depicted on the menu. The staff here is always so accommodating and polite. Try the chicken dumplings in red chili sauce!

I have been here twice for dim sum on a Saturday morning. I really enjoyed this place! Compared to other dim sum restaurants I have been to; this place provides small portions. That being said, the quality of those dishes were great! My favorite go-tos are the fried taro balls and egg tarts. The egg tarts are usually a hit or miss, but I loved the flaky crust of these egg tarts. The only dish I was not super impressed with was the pork preserved egg "thousand-year-old egg" congee because they did not put enough of the eggs in the congee to be able to call it preserved egg congee. Pricewise, it is $3-6ish per dish which is similar to other dim sum places I have been to although other places provide larger portion sizes. The service was fast and efficient. It gets pretty busy on weekend mornings, so be prepared to wait if you come late. Overall, I think Dim Sum Asian Bistro has decent dim sum and I will definitely be back! I do look forward to trying other dim sum restaurants in the area to be able to compare.

Tl;dr: Wait for the weekend if you're wanting to get dim sum, also smaller serving sizes than I was expecting. Visited ECAB on a Friday just after the noon hour and there were about three other tables there. They had some dimsum steamers on their table so we decided to try some dimsum as well. They had a decent selection of options, but definitely the bulk of what I crave at dim sum are reserved for the weekends like the rice rolls. We ordered a few staples like siu mai and har gow, and added a few splurge items like the honey short ribs and the chow mein noodles. The siu mai and har gow were good, on the smaller side from what I am used to, however my standard of dim sum comes straight out of the chinatown in Hawaii so I feel like that is an unfair standard. The flavor was tasty and I enjoyed the mild mushroom flavor in the siu mai, which is a nice contrast to the clean and mild flavor of the har gow in the crystal wrapper. The honey short ribs were our favorite. They were tender and flavorful with a sweet touch from the honey, which helps cut the fattiness of the shortribs. We didn't care for the chow mein noodles and will not order them again. We will be back to try their dimsum on the weekend.

East Coast is perhaps the best and most authentic dim sum in the Triangle area. The prices are about what you'd expect for Dim Sum. It's around $3-$5 for a small plate with 3-4 dumplings or buns. The sizes of the dim sum are fairly small, but I will say that the dim sum is tasty. I really like their shrimp dumplings and the rice noodles. I always got a pot of hot tea, and it never disappoints. I visited during COVID, so I will say that service was a little bit slow since only two people were working in the dining room. Normally, they have cart service, but since they Nonetheless, it was still well worth the visit!

The food is average Chinese food. I'll be honest, the buns that you can get from them are also in the frozen aisle at H-Mart for much much cheaper. Save your money and microwave your own.

Our family enjoy d our first visit here. This is the second dim sum spot in the area and this is now the preferred place.

This is a lovely, comfortable, neighborhood Dim sum restaurant! The prices are reasonable. You write down what you want, and they come by with carts with your Dim sum. My favorites were the shrimp dumplings and fried sesame balls with black bean, which was sweet with a crispy, crunchy sesame coating. Service was friendly! They greeted us, checked in multiple times, and also wished us goodbye! For this area, This is a no frills, easy, fresh place for dim sum and would definitely recommend it!

Putting my same review from "East Coast Asian Bistro" since it is the same place. I had read on several Raleigh social media accounts that this was the place for dim sum in the triangle...not sure that I trust those accounts anymore. I have huge expectations since I lived in NYC and had access to amazing dim sum. The baked char siu bun, egg tart and pineapple bun all had good texture but came out room temperature which was disappointing. The har gow shrimp dumplings were the tiniest I have ever seen. Usually my toddler would be fine eating 4 pieces but because they were so small I had to order an extra 8 pieces to make him satisfied! All other food we ordered was just okay. This place has potential but I don't plan on going back.

I've been ordering to go orders for a year now. The ordering through the website is the way to go. The orders are always right. Food is good. Also the owners alway sent in an extra item I didn't order. Have discovered a few thing that I ended up ordering afterwards. I always get a text when the order is ready. Also, if there is something they cannot fulfill, I get a call. Skip the line/wait. Order on line.

My husband and I have been looking for a good dim sum place in Durham for some time but live in N Durham. Didn't venture too far to eat in south Durham much but decided to try this place. We were certainly glad we did! It's by far and away the best we've had since going to NY City. The restaurant looks like a converted bar and kind of dark. We could barely hear the waitress through her mask but quite pleasant. The dim sum is entirely on a fill in the # list and the menu is pretty self explanatory. We got 10 different items (each plate has 3-4 pieces) and that was plenty for the 2 of us. All was steamed, fried, baked etc., to perfection! We spent about $60 on all this but plenty of food! This is definitely my favorite dim sum restaurant now - worth the drive!

Tasty made-to-order Dim Sum in North Carolina! This is a family run restaurant with their two young daughters running the front of the house while their father makes the food. I look forward to coming back in the future.

Food is very good. Might be the best in the area. Recommend to go at the right time (Sunday, Sat, morning) Otherwise the it won't be the best. I really hope the owner hire more waiter and waitress. Wait is tooo long.

One of the more disappointing dim sum, if not restaurant experiences we have had in awhile. Unlikely to come back again. I'm surprised by the rave reviews, but maybe it's because of the lack of actual dim sum spots in the RTP area. Came at opening time on a Sunday, there were a few tables seated. By the time we left, there was a line out the door. Service was okay, but food took longer than expected for a dim sum restaurant. You order food on a sheet ( it is nice they have a picture menu, if you are new to dim sum) and then they will take your sheet order and bring your food out on the cart as it becomes prepared. This is NOT the normal cart service that brings around a bunch of items that you then choose on the spot. Every dish came out cold if not room temperature ( likely because they were waiting for more dishes to be completed). Flavor and quality wise - eh. We weren't wowed or even excited about a single dish that came out. The shrimp dumplings, shumai, pork and chive dumplings, taro cakes, pork ribs with bean sauce, Chinese broccoli, bean skin wrapped pork - EH. Nothing great. Nothing special. The pork and chive dumplings had thick wrapping and taro cake was just kind of one note in terms of texture. It's food. It's edible. The staff was courteous. But it's a place we likely won't visit on our own accord again.

Staff there harass guests with aggressive body language.The attendant taking our order showing the white part of their eyes to us, which is surly a humiliating behavior in China context and she understand what she is doing. The only reason she is unhappy (I think) is that we ask her to take order after she left us there for ten minutes without giving water. I reasonably assume the attendant is a racist who hate people speaking mandarin.